Arne Slott believes Nottingham Forest are in the Premier League title race and expects another stern test when they take on Liverpool at the City Ground tomorrow night.

Forest have defied pre-season predictions of a relegation battle with incredible form that sees them sit third in the table – six points behind table-topping Liverpool after more games have been played.

They have won six league games on the spin and a seventh will see them close in on the Merseysiders.

Slott said: “I’ve always said you can judge the best of the table halfway through the season. That moment is now there. If Forest are with us, Arsenal and Chelsea are definitely a team in competition with us and others.

“If you look at the way they play and their results, it’s deserved. It will be a very difficult challenge for us to get a result.”

🗣️ “They deserve to be treated like this!”

Arne Slott comments on if he believes Nottingham Forest are title contenders 🏆 pic.twitter.com/gGii5eU8gI

– Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 13, 2025

Anfield defeat not much of a shock – slot

Forest hold the distinction of being the only team to beat Liverpool in the league this season, winning 1-0 at Anfield in September.

“They have already shown in the past what a good team they are,” he added. “When Liverpool lose a home game it’s something you don’t expect. It was difficult for us to lose that day. Now, looking back at where they are in the league, it’s not as shocking a result as I thought it was at the time.

“They had a good game plan and I hope their wingers, who have done very well, will be in their starting XI tomorrow.”

After giving some of the club’s fringe players game time in the weekend’s FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley, Slott will recall the big guns for the clash with Forest.

Defender Joe Gomez remains sidelined through injury, however, while striker Darwin Nunez is suspended.

Kudos to Nuno

Liverpool can expect Nuno Espirito Santo to dominate possession tomorrow night with Forest setting up to counter-attack, a style that has reaped its rewards this season.

Sloat said: “They have a team that works hard without the ball and they can also hold the ball. Chris Wood is a very good example.

“They’ve scored a lot of goals and are a threat on the counter-attack, but they also have quality when they want to play with the ball.

“Noono has done a great job of implementing a style of play that suits the players.

“They are a team that rarely concedes goals. They don’t take too many risks in their build-up play so when they lose the ball they have a lot of players behind the ball and they defend with 11 players.