Iraola’s Anfield Debut: Liverpool Aims for Victory Against Nottingham Forest

Andoni Iraola walks into Anfield for his first competitive home game as Liverpool manager with questions already circling. Not about his ideas, but about how quickly this team can bend to his will.

The 2-2 draw at Newcastle United on the opening weekend left a bitter taste. Liverpool were accused of lacking their old ferocity in attack and looking disjointed at the back. The numbers told a different story. An xG of 3.13 – the second-highest in the Premier League on matchday one – suggested a side that still knows how to carve opponents open, even if the finishing and defensive structure lagged behind.

Now comes Nottingham Forest. And with them, a sharp reminder of recent pain.

Last season, Forest walked out of Anfield with a stunning 3-0 victory, a result that scarred Liverpool’s campaign and exposed deep cracks in their defensive core. Iraola cannot afford a repeat in his first home outing. Not with the spotlight this bright, and not with the crowd impatient for signs of a new era taking shape.

Selection Squeeze for Iraola

Liverpool’s big-money move for Bradley Barcola, priced at around £100 million, is not expected to cross the line in time for this fixture. That leaves Iraola leaning on the same group that drew at St James’ Park.

Rio Ngumoha and Florian Wirtz, both withdrawn on 63 minutes against Newcastle, are the most likely to make way. Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz stand ready, two players capable of tightening control in midfield and sharpening the team’s structure without blunting the attack.

Jeremie Frimpong has become an early lightning rod for criticism. His display at right back drew plenty of ire, but Iraola’s options in that position are thin. The Basque coach may have to back his man again and trust that better protection and clearer roles around him will steady the flank.

Injury problems still lurk in the background. Hugo Ekitike and Conor Bradley remain several weeks away from returning, while Giovanni Leoni and Joe Gomez are also unavailable. The difference this time is that Liverpool look better equipped to cope.

Summer signings Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo both impressed at St James’ Park, bringing a level of authority and composure that Liverpool sorely missed in last season’s injury-ravaged back line. If they build on that performance, the defensive issues that derailed last year’s campaign may not define this one.

A clean sheet here would do more than just tidy up the stats. It would calm the noise, validate Iraola’s early work, and give the Anfield crowd something solid to cling to.

Forest’s Fresh Face, Familiar Problems

Nottingham Forest arrive under new leadership but with old worries. Oliver Glasner, a manager with an FA Cup, Conference League and Charity Shield on his CV, stepped in over the summer to reshape a side that flirted with chaos too often last season.

The start has been brutal.

Forest opened their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 home defeat to Leeds United at the City Ground. Three days later, Leeds returned in the League Cup and won 2-0 on the same pitch. Two games, two defeats, no goals scored, and early pressure on a new manager still learning his squad.

Glasner has been quick to cool any talk of him as a saviour, insisting he is “no messiah." The message is clear: this will take time. The reality is harsher: Anfield rarely offers time or mercy to teams still finding their feet.

Forest’s task grows tougher with key absentees. Ryan Yates and Nicola Savona are both sidelined through injury, stripping Glasner of energy and bite in the middle of the pitch. Against a Liverpool side that can swarm and suffocate when the tempo rises, those losses cut deep.

Odds, Expectations, and Early-Season Stakes

The bookmakers see this as Liverpool’s game to lose. bet365 price a home win at 11/20 (1.55), with Forest out at 19/4 (5.75). On paper, it looks straightforward. On the pitch, Liverpool still have scars from that 3-0 defeat to erase, and Forest have a new manager desperate to stop a losing run before it becomes a habit.

For Iraola, the demands are clear. He needs control, intensity, and a back line that looks more like the one at Newcastle and less like the one that crumbled in this fixture last season. He needs his forwards to turn a high xG into a high scoreline.

For Glasner, the mission is survival and belief. Keep it tight, frustrate the crowd, nick something on the break, and suddenly those two defeats to Leeds feel like a bad week rather than a warning sign.

Anfield has seen plenty of false dawns and stirring revivals. On Saturday, we find out which path this new Liverpool under Iraola is taking – and whether Forest are about to sink deeper into trouble, or start punching back.