Vitor Pereira’s tenure at Nottingham Forest started on the right foot, as his side secured a convincing 3-0 win against Fenerbahce in the Europa League.

Forest were thoroughly in control throughout, and Fenerbahce, who are unbeaten in the Turkish Super League this season, were simply unable to lay a glove on the Premier League side. Forest face a much tougher matchup this weekend, as they host Liverpool at the City Ground. 

After securing a top-eight finish in the Champions League, the Reds automatically qualified for the round of 16, meaning they had no midweek fixture to contend with. They were convincing against Brighton last weekend, securing a 3-0 victory on home turf. 

Liverpool have started to show a bit more resilience in recent weeks, and they come into this match following back-to-back wins. They will need to keep stringing together positive results as they aim for a top-four finish.

Both sides will be hopeful of securing three points coming into this clash - Liverpool are favourites, but the reverse fixture finished 3-0 to Forest. The Reds were in the middle of a rough patch of form then, but they have looked a lot more settled in recent weeks and will want to get revenge. 

Chances were available at both ends of the field in that game at Anfield, as Liverpool racked up 21 shots worth 1.93 xG, which translated to eight corners. Despite leading from the 33rd minute onwards, Forest also managed six corners, which shows how they were able to cause problems in transition. 

They have the tools to cause issues for this Liverpool side again, and they tend to play with more confidence in front of a home crowd. Because of that, there should be action at both ends of the field, and corners become a target.

Morgan Gibbs-White played a pivotal role in that win against Liverpool earlier in the season, pulling the string from an advanced midfield position. He recorded two shots and scored the third and final goal of the game to seal the victory. 

His shot volume has been much more consistent on home turf this season, and Gibbs-White has landed this bet in 15 out of 16 appearances at the City Ground. The 26-year-old is averaging 3.01 shots per 90 across all competitions at home, which is amongst the highest values in the Forest squad, and his role in the squad looks set to remain unchanged despite the arrival of a new manager. 

Gibbs-White provided an assist for Igor Jesus against Fenerbahce, before the Brazilian returned the favour for Gibbs-White to score the third goal of the game in the 50th minute. The Englishman had four shots midweek, with three on target.

Neco Williams has been another consistent performer for Forest, and he will be extra motivated here to cause issues against his former club. He was fouled once on his return to Anfield earlier in the season, and he also landed this bet against Liverpool at the City Ground last season, even with his direct matchup on the flank being Mo Salah. 

Williams sees plenty of the ball for Forest and is adept at drawing contact, especially when he drives into the final third from deeper areas. The Welshman is averaging 1.81 fouls drawn per 90 across all competitions this season, landing this selection in 14 of 16 home matches.

One of those misses came in a 4-0 win over Ferencvaros in the Europa League, a game which wasn’t much of a contest. This matchup with Liverpool should be far more competitive.