Facing one of the toughest tests of their Premier League title mettle, Liverpool make the trek to the City Ground for a fascinating battle with high-flying Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
There are just two places and six points between the two championship contenders in the top-flight standings, as the Reds square up to one of only two teams to have outwitted Arne Slot so far this season.
Match preview
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Atoning for the knockout wrongs of their 1-0 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg loss at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur, albeit one clouded in Lucas Bergvall controversy, Liverpool's relentless huffing and puffing against a spirited Accrington side eventually led to a fabulous four-goal win.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's marvellous long-range strike was the highlight of the afternoon for the much-changed Reds, as the right-back wrote his redemption arc after a horror show against Manchester United, while Diogo Jota, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa also gave the Anfield faithful something to cheer on Saturday.
As applaudable as Accrington's efforts were, it was always going to be a case of just how many the Reds were going to score in the third-round tie, even if Slot made an abundance of changes that he has been loath to make for the majority of the campaign.
Some tiredness was perhaps evident in the frenetic four-goal stalemate with Manchester United last time out in the Premier League, but Arsenal's failure to get the better of Brighton & Hove Albion allowed the Reds to maintain their six-point advantage at the summit, and still with that outstanding game in hand.
Liverpool may have been slain at Anfield by Tuesday's hosts back in September, but the Reds possess the only unbeaten away record left in the 2024-25 Premier League and have struck at least two goals in each of their last 12 top-flight matches; five games in that sequence have come on rival territory.
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However, Tuesday's titanic tussle will see the unstoppable force of Liverpool meet the immovable object of Nottingham Forest, who made it seven wins on the spin and five clean sheets on the bounce when Luton Town paid a visit for the FA Cup third round.
Strikes either side of the half-time whistle from Ryan Yates and Ramon Sosa made the difference for the Tricky Trees, who can surely harbour realistic ambitions of a trip to Wembley in the spring as Nuno Espirito Santo continues to mastermind a magical run.
December's Premier League Manager of the Month visited his old Molineux home on January 6, where there was no love lost between Wolverhampton Wanderers and fellow former flame Morgan Gibbs-White, to which Forest's creative fulcrum responded with a seventh-minute opening goal.
Chris Wood and Taiwo Awoniyi also got in on the act as Santo's men hit the 40-point mark for the season after just 20 games - the same tally that Arsenal boast - and the hosts are just one win away from matching their all-time best of seven straight league victories.
That feat has never been achieved by the Tricky Trees in the Premier League era, but belief should not be in short supply after September's shock 1-0 success at Anfield, the same slender tally that Liverpool won by at the City Ground last season as Darwin Nunez's last-gasp winner triggered full-time mayhem.
Team News
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Misfiring Liverpool marksman Nunez just cannot catch a break at the moment; the Uruguayan wasted another couple of chances against Accrington and serves a suspension on Tuesday for picking up his fifth yellow card of the Premier League season against Man United.
Nunez should only be one of two Reds absentees for Tuesday's tie, though, as Slot's sole injury absentee is hamstring victim Joe Gomez; Dominik Szoboszlai and Jarell Quansah were both fit to start the FA Cup success following illness.
However, the pair will likely be axed from the first XI as Slot reverts to his strongest possible setup, including a recall for Cody Gakpo, who is aiming to become just the eighth Dutch player to score in four successive Premier League matches.
Likewise, Nottingham Forest also come into the midweek battle with a near clean bill of health after Danilo made his long-awaited comeback from an ankle injury against Luton, earning five minutes as a late substitute.
Only Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) is in the care of the Forest doctors at present, and Santo could also afford to rotate his resources in the FA Cup, bringing the likes of Carlos Miguel, James Ward-Prowse and Awoniyi into the XI.
The 6ft 8in Miguel shone in the Luton success with six saves, but Matz Sels will no doubt return to guard the posts on Tuesday as he seeks a 10th Premier League clean sheet of the season; he is already two clear of Jordan Pickford and David Raya in the race for the Golden Glove.
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Diaz
We say: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Liverpool
Forest have not exclusively faced teams that they would ordinarily be expected to conquer during their stellar sequence - Brentford at home, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Man United are no pushovers - and Santo's men will certainly give the league leaders a terrific run for their money.
However, Liverpool's big hitters finally enjoyed a well-earned break on FA Cup weekend, and Slot's men should therefore cut revitalised figures at the City Ground, where they have our vote to end Forest's magnificent run by the narrowest of margins.
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Ben Knapton
