Nottingham Forest vs Liverpool Prediction, H2H Stats & Statistical Bets 22 February 2026
🔊 Can Liverpool, under Arne Slot for the first time, overcome Nottingham Forest? This is the challenge facing the reigning English champions in the 27th round of the Premier League. As for the "Forest," there's another question at hand. How will Vitor Pereira perform after replacing Sean Dyche as head coach? We'll look for answers in our prediction!
Head-to-Head
📊 Since Arne Slot's arrival, Liverpool have faced Nottingham three times and have only managed to secure a single point. In the first-round match of the current Premier League campaign, the Reds were thrashed by the Forest at Anfield with a 0-3 scoreline.
Head-to-head statistics Nottingham Forest - Liverpool
Nottingham Forest Team Overview
Nottingham have been putting up decent performances in the league, suffering just one defeat in their last six matches. However, this wasn't enough as their gap from the relegation zone narrowed, and a goalless draw against Wolverhampton (0-0) marked the end for Sean Dyche. Despite having an expected goals tally of 3.55, the Forest failed to find the net.
Ironically, Vitor Pereira, who was dismissed by Wolverhampton earlier this season, replaced the Englishman. This marks the fourth managerial change for Forest this season, a highly questionable strategy by the management. However, the Portuguese manager has made a brilliant start: the Reds traveled to Istanbul for their Europa League playoff clash and thrashed Fenerbahce 3-0. They dominated and outplayed the Canaries in every aspect, with Igor Jesus contributing a goal and an assist, making him Nottingham's top scorer in a single European campaign with seven goals.
Match Results: Nottingham Forest
Liverpool Team Overview
Liverpool's overall form appears solid, having won 4 of their last 5 matches. However, their Premier League performance tells a different story, with only two victories in their previous eight rounds, leaving the Reds outside the top five. Nevertheless, they secured a win in the last round, triumphing at a challenging venue by handing Sunderland their first home defeat of the season, thanks to Virgil van Dijk's goal.
Their successful run continued with a 3-0 victory over Brighton in the FA Cup. Brighton played with their usual bravado, refusing to sit back, which played into Liverpool's hands. However, Nottingham will approach the game differently. Their defensive style has consistently posed challenges for Arne Slot's side, regardless of who is at the helm.
Match Results: Liverpool
Latest news
Nottingham Forest
🎙 Vítor Pereira on his appointment and the team's ambitions: "Evangelos Marinakis is ambitious, passionate, and driven to win. I remember the energy and fire we created together. He asked me to be myself. Football is what I sleep and wake up with. I've come to give my body and soul to this club. It's a challenging season with different methods and different coaches. But I took this job because I believe in the players' quality, the team's potential, and the president's ambitions. Of course, we can stay up. We can pick up points," stated the Portuguese coach.
❌ Nottingham have five players sidelined: goalkeepers Matz Sels and John Victor, defenders Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly, as well as center-forward Chris Wood. These absences have been known for some time.
Liverpool
🎙 "The situation gets more complicated with the coaching change. We only have tonight to figure out what adjustments the new coach will make. It's fortunate that Nottingham Forest have a match against Fenerbahce, and it's great that Vitor Pereira worked in the Premier League last season. In the first round, we had a tough time against Nottingham," said Arne Slot at the press conference.
❌ Liverpool's biggest personnel issue lies on the right flank of their defense. Both specialist players for this position, Jeremie Frimpong and Conor Bradley, are injured, as is holding midfielder Wataru Endo, who can cover this role. However, Joe Gomez has returned to fitness and will play on the right side of defense. Additionally, Giovanni Leone, Alexander Isak, and Stefan Bajcetic remain sidelined.
🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards
Several factors suggest that this match might not see a flurry of yellow cards. Both Nottingham and Liverpool average around 1.5 yellow cards per game this season, and the match will be officiated by Anthony Taylor. While the English referee averages 3.9 cautions per game in the current Premier League campaign-a notable figure-it's not the highest among referees. The playing style and statistics of the teams are ultimately more significant. Notably, 8 out of Nottingham's last 9 league matches have seen under 3.5 yellow cards. We believe this trend will continue.
⚽️ Goal Prediction
Liverpool have struggled to be prolific on the road, which is not entirely surprising. The "Scousers" score fewer than 2.5 goals in 11 of their last 12 away Premier League matches. Given that Arne Slot's side has managed just one goal in their last three encounters against Nottingham, they might face significant challenges in attack once again.
🚩 Corners Prediction
Here's a bet for those who like to take risks-over 6.5 corners from Liverpool. In head-to-head clashes, the Reds dominate possession against the Forest, holding over 70% of the ball and surpassing this corner mark in eight consecutive matches. It's quite likely we'll witness a similar scenario this time around.
Editorial Prediction
Nottingham are a tricky opponent for Liverpool, and it would be foolish to deny this fact. While it's still unclear what the "Forest" will look like under Vítor Pereira, the Portuguese manager is no fool; he won't engage in open play against the favorite. This means the hosts have a chance at success.
Liverpool have dropped points in four of their last six Premier League away matches and often stumble against Forest, so our main bet is Nottingham to win with a +1 handicap. This bet has come through in their last four home games, including a match against Arsenal (0-0). We also consider a high-scoring draw, like the recent 1-1 draw at the City Ground, as a plausible outcome.
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Betting Tips: Nottingham Forest - Liverpool
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in 15 of last 17 away games (Premier League).in last 9 games.in 8 of last 9 away games.in 11 of last 12 away games (Premier League).in 10 of last 11 games (Premier League).in 6 of last 7 away games.Comparison of Teams Stats
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