Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool: Predicted lineups, team news and score prediction

Nottingham Forest have been the veritable surprise of this Premier League season — reborn under Nuno Espírito Santo, who has surmounted his previous tenure at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and then some. The punctuation mark on his personal arc came in the form of a 3-0 victory against his former club, where the new and improved Nottingham Forest was on full display — patient and manful defending, interrupted by lightning-quick counters and lethal finishing. But Forest will have ambitions beyond the settling of personal scores, now that they sit third in the league table, behind Arsenal only on goal difference.

The next step in Forest's quest for European football — a rediscovery of club heritage that nobody could have imagined ahead of the season, with the team tipped by many to be relegated — is a clash against league-leading Liverpool on Tuesday, January 14 at 3 p.m. EST.

In "normal" circumstances, this may seem to put Nuno's side on the back foot, even with the match taking place at their home, the City Ground. But Nottingham Forest have every reason to be confident going into Tuesday's meeting — they're the only team all season that has beaten Liverpool in the league, and they did so at Anfield.

The question is — how did they do it? In September, when the aforementioned triumph took place, Forest's new identity was still in its nascent phase. But four months on, the scheme has become clear — particularly to the many who have fallen prey to it. That's not to say that it's any easier to stop. Nottingham Forest will allow Liverpool the lion's share of possession, and pick their moments to counter carefully, perhaps in the form of a marauding Ola Aina run, in combination with traffic direction by Morgan Gibbs-White. Callum Hudson-Odoi offers explosive runs down the left side, and the Kiwi Chris Wood — presently in the playing form of his life — will be on hand at the top to punish Liverpool's high line.

If you're Liverpool, it's all quite scary stuff.

How can Liverpool redeem their early-season shortcoming?

Broadly speaking, Liverpool's season has been one of dominance, a Renaissance of Red under the tutelage of Arne Slot. They're top of the Premier League and Champions League tables and have two domestic cups still to play for. But recently, some cracks have begun to appear in the form of defensive vulnerability down the wing. The size of those cracks — hairline fractures or great rifts — remains to be seen, but Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson will have their work cut out for them on their respective sides against a Forest team that specializes in exploiting defensive weakness.

In their last league outing, a 2-2 draw against rivals Manchester United, Liverpool were characteristically dangerous on the attack, but wobbly in defense. They were second to seemingly every loose ball in the midfield and conceded twice after lapses of coverage in the final third. Against Forest, they'll need to improve in this department if they hope to hold off the home side. The Reds will have their chances — and they'll need to make the most of them. Because Nottingham Forest always do.

Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool news, predicted lineup and score

Nottingham Forest are just about as fit as it gets, with only one injury heading into Tuesday's match. Ibrahim Sangaré, having sustained a serious thigh injury, is not expected back until mid-February. Forest will certainly be looking forward to having him back on the pitch, but in the meantime, they've got no need to rush.

Liverpool, similarly, have only one reported injury — that of Joe Gomez, who will not be back until February. First-choice centre-back, Ibrahima Konaté, has returned to the mix and — in contrast to his first game back vs. Manchester United - should have his legs under him for the trip to the City Ground.

Given the league form of Nottingham Forest, and questions surrounding Liverpool's draw to United - and even more recent 0-1 loss to Spurs in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie — Tuesday's match will be hard to call. Having said that — Forest securing the league double over Liverpool seems less likely than Liverpool righting the ship.

Nottingham Forest predicted line up: Sels, Aina, Milenković, Murillo, Williams, Dominguez, Anderson, Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood

Liverpool predicted line up: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Robertson, Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Predicted Score: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Liverpool.

How to watch Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool

• Date: Tuesday, Jan. 14
• Start Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
• Location: The City Ground — Nottinghamshire , England
• Watch: USA Network

Kickoff for the match is 3:00 p.m. ET, on Tuesday, Jan. 14. The game will be broadcast exclusively on USA Network.