Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Best Bet: Betting Preview

It’s first vs third in the Premier League on Tuesday night, and our expert Nathan Joyes has provided his Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool best bet, team news, lineups and fixtures preview.

The hosts recorded their sixth straight victory in the Premier League last Monday beating Wolves 3-0, extending their best ever winning run in the league. Nuno Santo’s side may not dominate the ball, but their free-flowing attack has everyone worried. Can they do the double of Liverpool this season?

Arne Slot hasn’t stopped mentioning Forest since their defeat earlier in the campaign, and the new head coach will be hoping to secure three points at the City Ground and see his side extend their lead at the top of the table.

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Best Bet 1: A famous double on the cards?

England, Premier League, Tuesday, January 14th, 20:00 (UK)

After their sixth win in a row, Nottingham Forest are chasing a Champions League spot – and it’s starting to look rather promising for Nuno Santo’s side. Next up, however, is arguably their biggest test, but the hosts won’t be worried about Liverpool’s visit for numerous reasons.

The first, and perhaps more obvious, is their 1-0 win at Anfield earlier in the season. At the time, no one expected it but Forest more than deserved their victory – and it remains Liverpool’s only home defeat this campaign.

It was Arne Slot’s only defeat in 2024 for both Feyenoord and Liverpool on home soil – and it’s a result he hasn’t let go off. Tensions will be high at the City Ground, and it’ll be interesting to see how Slot approaches this huge match in the title race.

Secondly, it’s important to point out how Liverpool haven’t enjoyed their visits to the City Ground as much as they’d liked in recent years. A controversial goal saw them beat Forest in the FA Cup quarter-finals when the hosts were still in the Championship, but the Reds got their revenge with a 1-0 win against Liverpool in the Premier League the following season.

Last year, Forest held Liverpool until the 99th minute. Once again, Liverpool controversially won the game, as they were given a goal kick instead of a Forest throw in, of which they went and scored from in almost the 100th minute.

Uncomfortable visitors

So, yes, Liverpool have won two of their last three visits, but they’ve looked incredibly uncomfortable at the City Ground. And those visits came when Forest were languishing towards the bottom of the table, rather than rubbing shoulders with other title contenders.

Forest also head into this fixture having kept four clean sheets in a row, and the joint best defence (alongside Liverpool) in the Premier League. Santo’s settled on a back four of Neco Williams, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Ola Aina, with at least three of those competing for a team of the year spot. 

And in recent weeks, we’ve seen more of ex-Benfica centre-back Morato, who is able to add to Forest’s brick wall as they look to close out games. Liverpool, admittedly, have the best away record in the league, but Forest have only lost by a two goal margin once at home this campaign (Newcastle 3-1), and only once against Liverpool in their last five meetings – but never at the City Ground.

There’s the obvious opinion that Liverpool can run through Forest as they did against West Ham and Spurs, but Forest’s organised defence is far stronger than the two London-based clubs at present. Liverpool’s performance against Man United won’t have filled their fans with confidence, either.

And Slot will need to be aware of Forest’s dangerous counter attack. With the second lowest possession in the league, it’s a stat which means very little when they have Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White on the transition.

A cagey affair is expected on Trentside, and Forest will be very disappointed if they lose the match by two goals – and with that in mind, Forest on the ever shortening Asian Handicap line is worth taking while the price sticks at 1.75+.

• Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Best Bet 1: Forest Asian Handicap +1
• Best Odds: 1.75
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 7/10

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Best Bet odds via bet365 as at 12:30, January 7th, 2025. Odds may now differ.

Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Injuries, Team News and Possible Lineups

It’s highly unlikely that Forest will rotate their starting XI that beat Wolves last Monday. Morgan Gibbs-White made it two goals from his last two matches against his former employers, doubling his tally to four for the season – as well as chipping in with three assists.

Chris Wood once again joined him on the scoresheet, collecting his 12th goal of the season from just 20 matches. The Kiwi international will enjoy his tussle with Virgil van Dijk under the lights at the City Ground.

Will Arne Slot rotate his team? With their EFL Cup clash against Spurs and Accrington in the FA Cup at the weekend, it’s likely the Dutchman will change his preferred XI within those fixtures, and look to protect his best XI for this match.

Luis Diaz has been his preferred number 9 in recent weeks, and the Colombian will arguably fulfill that role once again, with Darwin Nunez settling for a place on the bench.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams, Dominguez, Hudson-Odoi, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Elanga, Wood

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Robertson, van Dijk, Konate, Alexander-Arnold, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Salah, Jones, Gakpo, Diaz

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