Evening Standard
·13 de enero de 2025
Evening Standard
·13 de enero de 2025
A number of Reds stars are well rested for the top of the table showdown
Arne Slot can welcome back a number of Liverpool’s big-hitters for Tuesday night’s Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest.
The Reds head to the City Ground seeking revenge as their only league defeat of the campaign to date was in the reverse meeting with Forest at Anfield back in September.
Though, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have proven that 1-0 win on Merseyside was no fluke and they are aiming to complete a league double over Liverpool which would see them cut the gap at the top of the table to just three points.
Albeit, the Merseyside giants will still have a game in hand regardless of the result.
The good news for Slot is he has no fresh injury concerns. Dominik Szoboszlai is fine after his half-time substitution in the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley was a pre-planned move.
Furthermore, Diogo Jota is now ready to play 90 minutes in the Premier League after coming through the whole game at the weekend unscathed.
"It's true. He is, like all the others, someone I like to have in my squad. I like to have him available and when it comes to building up his match fitness, I think you also saw that it went from 30 minutes to 30 minutes to a bit more and a bit more," Slot told reporters.
"Now he's ready to play 90 and that's a good thing because we have to play many games in the upcoming weeks. It's nice to have him available and hopefully it stays like this for the last four or five months."
Diogo Jota has built up his match sharpness over the past few weeks.
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
The two definite Liverpool absentees against Forest are Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez. The former is suspended after picking up five yellow cards and the latest on the defender is he is "quite far" away from fitness, as revealed by Slot in the pre-match press conference.
Captain Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah are all expected to start at the City Ground after being given the weekend off.
Meanwhile, Alexis Mac Allister, Andrew Robertson and Luis Diaz are pushing for starts having been unused substitutes against Accrington Stanley.
Predicted Liverpool XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Konate, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Diaz
Doubts: None
Injured: Joe Gomez
Suspended: Darwin Nunez
Time and date: 8pm GMT on Tuesday 14, January 2025
Venue: City Ground
TV channel and live stream: TNT Sports