Liverpool head coach Arne Slot insists that Nottingham Forest are "definitely" title contenders ahead of the Premier League leaders' trip to the City Ground on Tuesday night.
The fixture between Liverpool, who are six points ahead of third-placed Forest, takes place four months to the day since Nuno Espirito Santo’s team inflicted the Reds’ only Premier League defeat of the season so far.
And Slot is not underestimating the challenge his table-topping side face against a Forest team looking for a seventh consecutive Premier League win.
"I've always said you can judge the table best halfway through the season," Slot told the media, on the eve of Tuesday night's match.
"That moment is there now. If Forest are up there with us, with Arsenal, Chelsea and [Manchester] City and all the others, then they definitely are a team that is in competition with us and with the other teams.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
19 | +28 | 46 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
20 | +21 | 40 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
20 | +10 | 40 |
| 4 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
20 | +15 | 36 |
| 5 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
20 | +12 | 35 |
"They deserve to be treated like this if you look at the way they play and if you look at their results. It's going to be a very difficult challenge tomorrow to get a result."
Forest's 1-0 win at Anfield last September was reflective of how they have hurt teams this season, with Callum Hudson-Odoi's winner being the product of a swift counter-attack.
Hudson-Odoi's winner v Liverpool
Last time out against Liverpool... 💫⏮️ pic.twitter.com/AtRPIMtGFu
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 13, 2025
The style of play introduced by Nuno has been perfectly executed by their players, according to Slot.
"I think what every manager tries to do is find the game plan or the playing style that suits the players best. I think that is what the manager of Nottingham Forest – Nuno – did very well," Slot continued.
"The playing style they have suits them really good. They have a hard-working team. Without the ball they work really hard.
"Chris Wood is a great example of that. But he's also a player that can hold the ball, and they have very fast wingers and players in the midfield that can bring these wingers into promising positions, mostly in counter-attacks, but they are not only counter-attacks.
"If they bring the ball to the floor, you can see the quality they also have when they want to play. I think Nuno did a great job in implementing a style of play that suits the players very well."
Nuno: Let's play the game
While Slot talked up Forest as genuine title contenders, Nuno evaded answering directly when he was asked, during his pre-match press conference, to comment on his counterpart's praise.
"I don't know [if Slot is playing mind games] but we try as much as possible to ignore what's around," said the Forest boss.
"We never change. It is the way we see things, the way we see the competition. I would say it is the way we see life. It's day by day, focus on our tasks, and tomorrow is another tough one."
Nuno said his side's win over Liverpool in September "was a long time ago", adding: "Many things have changed. Both teams are different now. It is a new game and new things will happen."
The Forest head coach was praised for his tactics at Anfield. When asked what kind of game plan he would need for the return match, Nuno replied with a smile: "I don't know, I still don't know, I still have to work on it."
He explained that Forest need to stop more players than just the Premier League's top goalscorer, Mohamed Salah.
"Salah, Diaz, Gakpo, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Van Dijk, Konate, Trent... [they have] quality all over the place.
"[They are] a fantastic team. They have shown not only in the Premier League but in Europe how good they are. It is about us realising this and facing the game with the true respect it is necessary to play against Liverpool."
The Portuguese added: "We are here to compete against all of the teams and I think we are doing well, but nothing changes in our approach, which stays the same.
"We know what we can do and how we want to do things. We know each other, our strengths and weaknesses. So let's play the game."
Team news from both camps
Nuno has no "major issues" with injuries for the Liverpool match.
"We are assessing players that played all of the game [against Luton] and assessing players that are out," Nuno said. "So we prepare, but [we have] no major issues."
Slot will be unable to call on the services of two players, with defender Joe Gomez unavailable due to a muscle injury, while forward Darwin Nunez is suspended having picked up five yellow cards.