Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool betting tips and value plays

Imago Liverpool will be hoping to keep Forest's free-scoring striker Chris Wood quiet at the City Ground — *Imago* Liverpool will be hoping to keep Forest's free-scoring striker Chris Wood quiet at the City Ground

Nottingham Forest state of play

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo is masterminding a mightily impressive campaign at the City Ground.

His men are sitting pretty in the top three as they eye a shock place in the Champions League next term.

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Liverpool will provide a stern test. But Espirito Santo can take plenty of confidence from Forest's impressive Premier League form. They've now won seven on the bounce in all competitions and are one of the most in-form teams in the top flight. They also eased past Luton in an FA Cup third-round fixture on Saturday with a 2-0 win.

Liverpool state of play

This was expected to be a transitional season for the Reds following Jurgen Klopp's departure in the summer. However, Arne Slot has hit the ground running at Anfield and his side look the real deal as they eye a first title since the 2019/20 season.

Nevertheless, Liverpool did look rusty in their last Premier League game against Manchester United and could only muster a 2-2 draw. They followed that up with a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday before battering Accrington Stanley 4-0 on Saturday in the FA Cup.

Key talking point: Can Liverpool get over their mini speed bump?

Liverpool are experiencing a minor slump in form. Consistency is lacking and clean sheets are increasingly hard to come by.

Manchester United showed that the Reds can be neutralised - especially with some key Liverpool players off the boil at the moment. The contract situations of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also looming large over the Premier League leaders.

FIRST’s top tip for Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool

Nottingham Forest full time result at 71/20 (Bet442)

Extra tips

Chris Wood to score anytime at 11/5 (Bet442)

Wood has taken the Premier League by storm this season, notching 14 goals in his second full campaign at the club. Acting as a focal point in and around the box, Wood is the ideal old-fashioned forward when complimented by the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the counter attack.

The 32-year-old New Zealand international will fancy his chances against Liverpool on home soil.

Both teams to score at 61/100 (Mr.Play)

Only Arsenal have a more solid defensive record in the Premier League than Liverpool, who have conceded 19 goals in 19 games.

But the stats don't tell the whole story here. To even just a casual observer, Liverpool look a little vulnerable defensively. Forest also won at Anfield earlier in the season in what is still Slot's only league defeat of the campaign.

Team news

Both clubs rotated players for their respective FA Cup clashes over the weekend. But midfielder Danilo - a £16 million signing from Palmeiras 2 years ago - came on during Forest’s win over.

The 23-year-old is making his comeback from a serious ankle injury. Ivory Coast international Ibrahim Sangare, who has managed just three top-flight appearances this season, is also believed to be closing in on a return.

For Liverpool, Dominik Szoboszlai had been suffering from illness and came off at half-time on Saturday. However, Slot has since confirmed that was a pre-planned move.

Rookie centre-back Jarell Quansah, meanwhile, is back in contention after playing 90 minutes against Accrington. Darwin Nunez is suspended and Joe Gomez is sidelined with a hamstring issue.