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Anfield has always been one of the most intimidating venues in the Premier League, and Nottingham Forest faces the challenging task of trying to breach Liverpool's fortress on Sunday. Jürgen Klopp's team aims to uphold their excellent home record, having secured their fourth consecutive Premier League victory at Anfield last week in the Merseyside derby. Mohamed Salah's two second-half goals were enough to defeat a determined Everton side. This upcoming game coincides with the one-year anniversary of Liverpool's last home league defeat, with the Reds having won 13 matches and drawn three at Anfield since their 2022 loss to Leeds United.
At the end of Matchday 9, Liverpool found themselves just three points behind the league leaders, Tottenham, but they faced a tough test from Everton. Even after Ashley Young was sent off for Everton, Klopp's team needed a penalty to break the deadlock, and they were fortunate that Ibrahima Konaté didn't receive a second booking.
This season, Liverpool has seen five red cards in their nine Premier League matches, with four of them being issued to Liverpool players in matches against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Tottenham. Ashley Young was the first outfield player to be sent off against Liverpool in a league match since Paul Pogba of Manchester United in October 2021. Curtis Jones, the most recent Liverpool player to receive a red card, is still serving his three-match suspension.
Due to Jones' suspension, Klopp fielded a midfield entirely composed of summer signings in the previous match, with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, and Dominik Szoboszlai in Liverpool's lineup. Szoboszlai, who joined from RB Leipzig, has made a significant impact by creating 21 Premier League chances this season, the most by any player in their first nine league appearances for Liverpool since Harry Kewell in 2003 (who had 22 chances), although he has yet to register an assist.
Liverpool received good news this week as Cody Gakpo returned in the UEFA Europa League match against Toulouse, which Liverpool won 5-1. However, Andy Robertson is unavailable due to shoulder surgery, so Konstantinos Tsimikas is expected to fill in at left-back.
Looking ahead, Salah aims to continue his exceptional home form, as he has either scored or provided an assist in each of his last 13 Premier League appearances at Anfield, contributing a total of 14 goals and three assists. In 115 home games for Liverpool in the competition, he has accumulated 116 goal contributions (84 goals and 32 assists), placing him just four short of Steven Gerrard's club record of 120 (comprising 69 goals and 51 assists).
Forest faces a daunting challenge, especially considering their historically poor performance in away matches. While Cooper's team managed to defeat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in September, it marked only their second away victory since returning to the Premier League in August the previous year. They have struggled on the road with six draws and 16 losses during that time. Their subsequent away fixtures saw a loss to Manchester City and a draw with Crystal Palace.
Under these circumstances, Nottingham Forest would likely be content with earning a single point in their upcoming game. Interestingly, Forest didn't achieve back-to-back draws in their first 44 matches in the Premier League between August 2022 and September 2023. However, they have recently recorded three consecutive draws in the same month.
Following draws against Brentford, Crystal Palace, and Luton, they could potentially achieve four consecutive draws in the league for the first time since their Championship days in January 2016.
Liverpool's match against Toulouse in the Europa League showcased six goals, some inexplicable misses, and the introduction of promising young talents. This encounter exemplified the excitement of Europa League football, which Liverpool seems to be handling with ease at the moment under Jurgen Klopp's leadership.
Even though Toulouse posed some questions to Liverpool's second-string squad by launching frequent forward attacks, Liverpool's 18-year-old goalkeeper, Guillaume Restes, faced a barrage of attacks and couldn't prevent goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Wataru Endo, and Ryan Gravenberch. Thijs Dallinga's first-half equalizer was just a brief interruption to Liverpool's relentless offensive performance.
Liverpool's current form suggests they are just one match away from securing a spot in the last-16 of the Europa League. Klopp has guided Liverpool to seven consecutive home wins at the start of the season, a feat not achieved since 1990.
Their recent 2-0 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby, although not entirely convincing, has kept Liverpool in contention for a top-four spot in the Premier League. They currently sit in fourth place, just one point behind Manchester City and Arsenal. Liverpool has maintained a perfect home record in the Premier League, winning all their matches at Anfield. Their unbeaten streak at Anfield now spans 16 matches, with the last loss being against Leeds United a year ago, precisely on Halloween.
The combination of Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga proved effective twice in Nottingham Forest's recent clash with Luton Town. The Swedish forward assisted Wood on two occasions, seemingly putting Nottingham Forest in a commanding position.
Nevertheless, missed opportunities earlier in the game came back to haunt Steve Cooper's team. Chiedozie Ogbene reduced the deficit with 83 minutes on the clock, and an injury-time goal from Elijah Adebayo secured a dramatic draw, preventing Nottingham Forest from claiming maximum points at the City Ground.
Reports suggest that Steve Cooper is being considered as a potential successor to Gareth Southgate as the head coach of the England national team. However, the England management may struggle to find many positives in Nottingham Forest's ongoing winless streak in the Premier League. The team has gone five games without a victory, with their last three matches ending in draws.
Nottingham Forest currently sits in 15th place in the Premier League, with only two top-flight wins this season. While they maintain a comfortable six-point gap above the relegation zone, their position could become precarious if they don't turn around their recent poor form.
Their only away victories in the Premier League in 2023 came in 1-0 wins against Chelsea and Southampton. During this time, they also put up a strong fight in a 3-2 loss to Liverpool at Anfield. It has been over a year since former Liverpool prospect Taiwo Awoniyi scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 victory for Nottingham Forest over his former club at the City Ground.
