Liverpool play their first home Premier League match of the season on Saturday, August 29, 2026, welcoming Nottingham Forest to Anfield. Manager Andoni Iraola takes charge of his inaugural home fixture as Liverpool boss following an opening-weekend 2-2 draw against Newcastle United, where a stoppage-time penalty secured a point (The Football Faithful). Nottingham Forest arrive under Oliver Glasner seeking their first win of the campaign after opening with a 1-0 league defeat against Leeds United followed by a 2-0 Carabao Cup loss to the same opponent.
Liverpool and Nottingham Forest Clash at Anfield
The fixture kicks off at 12:30 UK time (7:30 AM ET) and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate in the UK (The Football Faithful), and via NBC Sports in the United States. In the early Premier League table, Liverpool sit 10th and Nottingham Forest occupy 15th place.
Team News and Injury Updates
Liverpool face significant squad constraints due to injuries. Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitiké, Joe Gomez, Jayden Danns, and Giovanni Leoni are unavailable, while Curtis Jones remains a doubt with a groin issue (The Football Faithful). Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest travel to Merseyside without Ryan Yates and Nicolo Savona due to injury. Forest are also managing squad integration following transfer activity, with recent signing Liam Delap in the squad but expected to feature from the bench (Yahoo Sports).
Iraola’s side has undergone a substantial summer transition. Following a disappointing title defense under former manager Arne Slot—where Liverpool finished 5th with 60 points—club veterans such as Mohamed Salah and Andrew Robertson, alongside Ibrahima Konaté and Curtis Jones, departed the club (Yahoo Sports). Despite ongoing transfer speculation linking Cody Gakpo with Tottenham and Manchester City, the forward is expected to retain his starting role on the left flank (The Football Faithful).
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool are expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation featuring Alisson in goal; a back four of Frimpong, Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, and Kerkez; Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai in midfield; and an attacking trio of Victor Muñoz (or 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha), Florian Wirtz, and Cody Gakpo supporting central striker Alexander Isak (The Football Faithful).
Nottingham Forest’s projected lineup features Matz Sels in goal; a defensive unit of Jair Cunha (or Ousmane Diomande), Nikola Milenkovic, and Murillo; wing-backs Ola Aina and Neco Williams flanking a midfield of James McAtee, Xaver Schlager, and Ibrahim Sangare; with Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus leading the attack (Yahoo Sports, Sporting News).
Head-to-Head History and Context
Anfield has historically proven a challenging destination for Forest, though they secured a 3-0 victory away against Liverpool in November 2025 (Yahoo Sports). However, Liverpool claimed a narrow 1-0 win at the City Ground during their most recent meeting in February 2026. Across the last five Premier League encounters, Liverpool hold three victories to Forest’s one, alongside a single draw.
