Overview
Although Arsenal is making it difficult for themselves in the race for the top spot in the Premier League, Liverpool's chances of defending the championship are clearly very slim. However, the young squad under coach Arne Slot still has two paths to reach the title this season.
Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah scored in turn, helping Liverpool win convincingly against Brighton in the FA Cup, thereby winning the right to face Wolves in the 5th round. In parallel with that, the Champions League also soon returned to the focus of attention of the port city team.
Victories in cup competitions have brought Liverpool a positive record, with 4 wins in the last 5 matches in all competitions. However, the picture in the Premier League is less bright, as The Kop have only won two in the last 6 rounds.
However, both of those victories came in the last 3 matches, against Newcastle United and Sunderland, helping the defending champions rank sixth and continue to maintain pressure on Manchester United in fourth place.
The victory at Sunderland's home ground also has special significance, as Liverpool becomes the first team to defeat the "Black Cats" at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League season 2025-2026. However, since September, Arne Slot's team has not been able to win two consecutive away wins in the league, except for the matches at Anfield.
The positive impact from the new coach has been clearly shown throughout the 2024-2025 season, and that effect continues to be demonstrated when Nottingham Forest plays at Fenerbahce's stadium in the Europa League.
In the first match since Sean Dyche's controversial departure, coach Pereira - who had gone through one of the most difficult seasons in Premier League history with Wolves - led Forest to an impressive 3-0 victory over the Turkish representative. Murillo, Igor Jesus and Morgan Gibbs-White were the players who scored.
This victory helped Forest end a 3-match winless streak convincingly. That success is not too surprising, as in the last 15 appearances for the new team, Pereira has avoided defeat, winning 11 matches.
The Portuguese coach is currently aiming to help Forest escape the dangerous group in the Premier League. The red team is currently ranked 17th, only 3 points ahead of West Ham United before the weekend round, but recent form is showing positive signs.
Only one of Forest's last 6 matches in the Premier League ended in defeat. However, all 3 recent home matches at City Ground ended in a draw, reflecting the fact that scoring against home fans is still a difficult problem.
Specifically, Forest has only scored one goal per game in their last four appearances at City Ground in the Premier League. However, the 3-0 victory over Liverpool in November helped them maintain a three-match unbeaten streak against the reigning English champions.
Personnel situation
Regarding Liverpool's force situation, everything is almost unchanged. In the pre-match press conference, Arne Slot confirmed that Jeremie Frimpong continues to be absent due to a hamstring injury. However, the Dutch defender is aiming to return in time for the match against West Ham United on February 28.
In the opposite direction, Nottingham Forest won against Fenerbahce without adding any losses. However, the home team did not welcome any notable return before welcoming the defending champion.
Expected lineup:
Nottingham Forest: Ortega, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Sangare, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Jesus.
Alisson, Szoboszlai, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike.
The match between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool takes place at 9:00 PM on February 22nd (Vietnam time).
