Nottingham Forest are on cloud nine after an incredible season to date, so Liverpool should be wary of their trip to the City Ground.
The Reds have had a slight wobble in the past week, drawing at home to Man United in the Premier League and losing at Tottenham in the Carabao Cup.
There is no need for an overreaction, but equally, big improvements are needed at second-place Forest on Tuesday evening.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have been a revelation this season, defending doggedly and counter-attacking in style, defying all the odds.
Before the game, This Is Anfield‘s Henry Jackson spoke to Matt Davies (@MattDavies_FF), host of the Forest Focus podcast, to preview a massive game for both sides.
Just how special has this season been?
Unbelievable. It’s hard to put into words.
A lot of pundits had us down for relegation, but fans thought that was short-sighted after we did good business over the summer and Nuno Espirito Santo had a chance to tackle our big problem defending set pieces.
That said, people were thinking we could push for a finish of around 12th to 14th, but never this.
There have been some unbelievable moments, with victory at Anfield obviously the big one, but also winning at Old Trafford and getting a stoppage-time winner against Aston Villa during this current run of wins.
What have been the key reasons for Forest’s success?
There aren’t too many but they’ve all been big, I would say.
The biggest has probably been the signing of Nikola Milenkovic, who has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League.
He has made a huge difference with set pieces at both ends of the pitch.
Secondly, Elliot Anderson has been a great signing, too. He is a really accomplished all-round midfielder who has helped get the best out of Morgan Gibbs-White.
Finally, as mentioned, Nuno also had a pre-season to get his tactics across to the team after coming in last winter in tough circumstances.
What’s the realistic aim for the season now?
To win the league!
Not really, but I do think Champions League football is possible, especially if qualification goes down to fifth place.
I might dream about winning the league if Forest beat Liverpool, though, but even then it’s a big ask.
Who have been Forest’s three best players?
The top three would be so hard to choose, but I would say Milenkovic and Chris Wood are one and two for sure.
After that you could pick anyone from Ola Aina, Anderson and Gibbs-White, but I would go for Murillo, given how good the defensive pairing have been.
Honestly, no one has struggled.
Anthony Elanga started slowly, but he now has three goals and two assists in the last five games and has been on fire.
What are your thoughts on Arne Slot at Liverpool?
Arne Slot has done unbelievably well, considering there were only a couple of signings made and the first XI is largely unchanged.
Gravenberch seems to have really stepped up and Diaz has been really strong playing through the middle.
Slot has also dealt really well with the contract situations of three hugely prominent players.
How do you assess the title race?
It’s entirely Liverpool’s to lose right now. Even if Forest win the game, that’s still the case.
They’ve been so much better than all the ‘big six’ all season.
That said, Liverpool have struggled to get over the line a few times and it’s not clear if the contract situation with Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold will ever be an issue.
I don’t think it will, but Trent was so poor against Man United to make people wonder.
Arsenal should be the biggest rivals, but Forest have been so hard to beat and defensively strong that I don’t see them collapsing, even if they are major long shots to win the league.
I can’t see Chelsea winning it.
Where will the key battles take place on Tuesday?
I would say the main ones are Neco Williams vs. Salah, Callum Hudson-Odoi vs. Alexander-Arnold and Gibbs-White vs. Gravenberch.
At Anfield, Alex Moreno was brilliant against Salah, who has been the best player in the league by a mile all season.
Williams has been fantastic at left-back since coming into the team, but this is a huge challenge.
Forest fans will be hoping Trent plays like he did against United, while Gibbs-White has been brilliant finding space in midfield to run at defences.
What’s your prediction?
I think it will be a 1-1 draw.
Since promotion, Forest have done pretty well against Liverpool, considering how good they are.
We beat them at home two years ago and were unlucky to lose last season.
Obviously, the win at Anfield was huge and a big catalyst for the season we’ve seen, so even though Liverpool are such a strong side, I think we will get a point.
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if either side wins.
Liverpool could win the game comfortably, but I don’t think that will happen this time.
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