Nottingham Forest Aim for Third Straight Win at Anfield
Nottingham Forest head to Anfield on Saturday still chasing their first points of the new Premier League season, but with one powerful reminder tucked away in recent memory – they know how to win there.
Oliver Glasner’s side opened their campaign with defeat to Leeds United and were quickly knocked back again in the Carabao Cup days later. Two games, two losses, no momentum. For a squad being rebuilt on the fly, it is a harsh early reality.
And yet, Anfield has been kind to them of late. Forest have won on each of their last two visits, a rare record for any travelling side and a useful psychological weapon as they walk into one of the most unforgiving arenas in English football.
Forest’s fitness picture and selection calls
Glasner will go into the lunchtime kick-off without Nicolo Savona and Ryan Yates, both still sidelined through injury and unavailable for selection. Their absence narrows his options in midfield, but the midweek cup tie did hand him something more positive.
Summer signings Ousmane Diomande and Xaver Schlager both made their full debuts in that Carabao Cup defeat and did enough to stake a serious claim for starting spots at Anfield. They are pushing hard to keep their places, and Glasner has reported no new fitness issues from that game.
The Austrian has been blunt about the size of the job in front of him at the City Ground. This is a group still learning each other’s runs and rhythms, trying to develop an identity against a league full of teams who have long since found theirs. Forest are building while everyone else is already playing.
Shape, structure and the Anfield plan
All signs point to Forest sticking with a back three. Murillo, Nikola Milenković and Diomande are expected to form the defensive core, a trio tasked with holding firm under waves of pressure and playing out cleanly when the chance comes.
In front of them, a hard-working midfield four should provide the screen: Ola Aina and Neco Williams operating as the wide outlets, with Ibrahim Sangaré and Schlager in the engine room. It is a setup designed to compress space, break up play and spring quickly when the ball turns over.
The creative burden, as so often, will fall on Morgan Gibbs-White. He has either scored or assisted in half of Forest’s last six games at Anfield, a striking record that underlines his importance in this fixture. He is expected to float in behind Igor Jesus, linking with the Brazilian forward and Dan Ndoye, who brings direct running and industry in the final third.
If Forest are to make it three wins in a row at Anfield, that attacking trio will need to be ruthless with the few chances that come.
Predicted Nottingham Forest XI
Nottingham Forest possible starting XI (3-4-2-1): Sels; Murillo, Milenković, Diomande; Aina, Sangaré, Schlager, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Igor Jesus.
Kick-off time and TV details
The Premier League clash at Anfield kicks off at 12:30 on Saturday, 29 August 2026.
In the UK, the match will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate.
Forest arrive bruised, still searching for a foothold in their season. Anfield, of all places, now asks them a simple question: are those recent wins on Merseyside a quirk of history, or the start of a habit?
