Former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton has weighed in on Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest, slated for Saturday (March 2).
Jürgen Klopp’s side, dealing with the absence of several key players, is riding high on momentum following their recent victories. Despite missing key stars, Liverpool secured a thrilling 3-0 win over Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round, following their EFL Cup final triumph over Chelsea.
In his analysis for the BBC, Sutton commended Liverpool’s youthful squad for their impressive performances in recent fixtures:
“There’s been lots of praise for Liverpool’s young players this week, and rightly so after the way they played in the Carabao Cup final and then beat Southampton in the FA Cup. It’s been an excellent week for Jürgen Klopp, with the first trophy of the season under his belt and then seeing his side keeping alive the possibility of winning four of them this season.”
Despite uncertainties surrounding the availability of key players, Sutton believes Liverpool should have the edge against Forest:
“It would get even better if the likes of Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Wataru Endo are fit enough to play in this game, and I feel like Liverpool are going to be hard to stop here.
Forest were unlucky to go out of the FA Cup to Manchester United on Wednesday. Still, they have got some work to do to get to safety in the league, especially with a possible points deduction looming, that could be announced next week.”
While acknowledging Forest’s recent improvements, particularly in their attacking play, Sutton predicts a 2-0 victory for Klopp’s men:
“I keep hearing how Nuno Espírito Santo’s side are much-improved in an attacking sense. They may well have done, but it has not translated into results because they have only won once this year, and I don’t see them getting another one on Saturday.
We are now into the run-in to the end of the season, and Liverpool has already shown a great habit of finding a way to win games in recent weeks. They are riding on the crest of a wave at the moment so that this one might be a bit more straightforward.”
Liverpool currently leads the Premier League standings with 59 points, one ahead of Manchester City, after 26 matches. In contrast, Forest sits just four points above the relegation zone and is coming off a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round.
