Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Prediction

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20 April 2023

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Prediction

Mo Salah got off to a slow start this season, but he's been on fire of late, and our EPL picks think Liverpool's star is prime to torment Nottingham Forest's leaky defense on Saturday.

Saturday’s EPL slate serves up an intriguing clash between Liverpool and

Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest are in desperate need for points to aid their bid to avoid relegation, while Liverpool are hopeful that a late run could see them make the Champions League.

Will Jurgen Klopp’s team be able to win or will Nottingham Forest pick up a vital three points. Don’t miss our Liverpool vs. Nottingham Forest betting picks and predictions for Saturday, April 22.

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest best odds

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest picks and predictions

We’ve got just five Premier League games on Saturday, one of which is Nottingham Forest’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool. Over recent weeks, this has turned into an even more interesting matchup, largely down to the improvement in Liverpool’s form. Jurgen Klopp’s team won their past game against Leeds and drew the two before that. They came into this matchweek nine points off fourth place and a Champions League spot next season. It’s a tough ask, but with their performances getting better and the likes of Thiago and Luis Diaz returning from injuries, there’s growing optimism for Liverpool fans that they could pull it off.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are in deep trouble. They started the weekend 18th in the Premier League, in the relegation zone on goal difference. They haven’t picked up a win in any of their last 10 matches and worryingly, they’ve lost five of their past six. Yet again, there are question marks over manager Steve Cooper’s future, but the club are adamant they’ll stick by him. Could a defeat here force them to make a change in a bid to keep their Premier League status?

What’ll concern Cooper, and the Forest fanbase, is that they’ve allowed 56 goals in 31 Premier League games this season, the second-highest total in the league. That’s even more concerning when Liverpool and their Egyptian talisman Mohamed Salah are the next game, which is where our best bet comes in.

This feels like a down season for Salah, which hasn’t really been his best form, and there’s some truth in that. He scored just four goals in his first 10 games of the year across all competitions. Then he had another drought in the new year, scoring just three times in the first 10 games of 2023. However, that’s changed in recent months. Since the start of March, he’s scored nine times in 10 games for club and country and comes into this match on the back of scoring twice against Leeds earlier in the week.

We’re not getting huge odds on Salah scoring, at just -125 to score, but in a game where Liverpool are -525 favorites, it’s one of the best bets on the board. Salah is in red-hot form right now and averaging 3.2 shots per game. Despite having had a poor season by his standards he’s still scored 15 goals in 30 games and his xG tells us that by that metric he should have scored a couple more and has perhaps been unfortunate. We can see that 11 of his goals have come from positions on the right flank and on Saturday he’ll likely be up against the right-side central defender Scott McKenna, a matchup that he should have the better of.

My best bet: Mohamed Salah to score (-125 at bet365)

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Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest side analysis

The two clubs met back in October, a game which Forest won 1-0 at the City Ground. Liverpool have looked far better in recent times but odds of -525 are far too short for a team who have won less than half of their Premier League games all season. It’s far too risky to be staking them at those prices, and I’d rather back other markets, such as Salah’s anytime goal market.

We know Klopp will send his Liverpool team out in his usual 4-3-3. They now have a settled back four with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Andrew Robertson. The midfield will see Fabinho and Jordan Henderson alongside either Thiago, Harvey Elliott, or Curtis Jones. The front three could see any of a number of players start. Salah is a lock, with Cody Gakpo likely to play alongside either Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, or potentially even Luis Diaz.

Nottingham Forest will play the 3-4-1-2 that they’ve used often this season. The fullbacks, Neco Williams and Renan Lodi, will have a lot of work to do in protecting the back three, while also supporting attacks. Danilo and Remo Freuler will be tasked with sitting in front of that backline and attempt to control possession against what is an aging Liverpool midfield.

The key to Forest’s hopes is Morgan Gibbs-White, he’ll sit behind the front two and attempt to dictate play. He’s been really impressive this season and you can see why he was so highly touted as a young player at Wolves. With his movement and eye for a pass there is a chance that either Taiwo Awonikyi or Brennan Johnson will get opportunities to get through on goal.

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest Over/Under analysis

he Total Goals market is heavily favoring Over 2.5 goals, which is priced at best odds of -220. Sure, Liverpool come into this after a 6-1 win over Leeds, but I’d be very apprehensive about backing Over 2.5 goals at those odds. I think it’s marginally more likely than the Under but not by the amount implied in those odds.

The Over has landed in just 46.7% of Nottingham Forest’s road games and it’s worth remembering that when these two teams met earlier in the season there was just one goal scored. Liverpool, despite having a great attack, have only had Over 2.5 goals in 57.1% of their games at Anfield in the Premier League this season, and only twice in the five games held there in 2023.

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest game info

Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest key injuries

Liverpool: Stefan Bajcetic CM (Out), Naby Keita CM (Out).
Nottingham Forest: Chris Wood STR (Out), Willy Boly CB (Out), Cheikhou Kouyate CM (Out), Ryan Yates CM (Questionable), Serge Aurier FB (Questionable), Dean Henderson GK (Questionable), Gustavo Scarpa CM (Questionable).