Arne Slot believes Nottingham Forest are in the Premier League title race and is expecting another stiff test when he takes Liverpool to the City Ground tomorrow night.
Forest have defied pre-season predictions of a relegation battle with a wonderful run of form which sees them sitting third in the table – six points behind table-topping Liverpool having played a game more.
They have won six league games on the spin and a seventh would see them edge closer to the Merseysiders.
Slot said: “I have always said you can judge the table best halfway through the season. That moment is there now. If Forest are up there with us, Arsenal and Chelsea then they are definitely a team in competition with us and the others.
“If you look at the way they play and their results then it is deserved. It is going to be a very difficult challenge for us to get a result.”
🗣️ “They deserve to be treated like this!”
Arne Slot comments on if he believes Nottingham Forest are title contenders 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gGii5eU8gI
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 13, 2025
📰 Table Of Contents
Anfield defeat not much of a shock – Slot
Forest hold the distinction of being the only team to have beaten Liverpool in the league this season having triumphed 1-0 at Anfield in September.
“They have already showed in retrospect how good of a team they are,” he added. “When Liverpool lose a home game it’s something you don’t expect. For us to lose on that day was hard to take. Now, looking back and seeing where they are in the league, it is not such a shock result as I thought it was back then.
“They had a good game plan and I expect their wingers, who have done so well, to be in their starting XI tomorrow.”
Having given game time to some of the club’s fringe players in the weekend’s FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley, Slot will recall the big guns for the clash with Forest.
Defender Joe Gomez remains sidelined through injury, however, while striker Darwin Nunez is suspended.
Praise for Nuno
Liverpool can expect to have the bulk of possession tomorrow night with Nuno Espirito Santo setting Forest up for the counter-attack, a style that has reaped its rewards this season.
Slot said: “They have a hard-working team without the ball and they can also hold the ball. Chris Wood is a very good example of that.
“They have scored and been a threat by counter-attacks a lot, but they also have quality when they want to play with the ball.
“Nuno has done a great job at implementing a style of play that suits the players.
“They are a team that hardly concede goals. They don’t take many risks in their build-up play so when they lose the ball they have many players behind the ball and they defend with 11 players.”
