Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo says his side will give Liverpool the respect they deserve ahead of their visit to the City Ground.
The Reds are six points ahead of the Tricky Trees but could see that gap reduced to three with a home win against Arne Slot’s men.
Forest remain the only team to beat Liverpool in the Premier League this season, winning 1-0 at Anfield in September.
Ahead of their second meeting of the campaign, Slot was quick to label Nuno’s men title contenders, but the former Tottenham boss chose to ignore the noise and focus on one game at a time.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s clash, he said: “We have to play the games. We’re here to play every team and I think we’re doing well, but nothing changes in our approach, which remains the same.
“We know what we can do and how we want to do things. We know ourselves, our strengths and our weaknesses. So let’s play the game.
“I don’t know but we try as much as possible to ignore what’s around us. We never change. It’s the way we see things, the way we see competition. I would say it’s our way of seeing life. It’s day by day, let’s focus on our tasks and tomorrow will be difficult again.
🗣️ ‘We know we can count on them.’
Nuno for your support before tomorrow. ❤️
– Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 13, 2025
“Salah, Diaz, Gakpo, Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Van Dijk, Konate, Trent… quality everywhere. A fantastic team. They showed not only in the Premier League but also in Europe how good they are. It’s about us being aware of that and facing the match with the real respect necessary to play against Liverpool.
Forest are proving to be the closest title challengers outside the traditional top six since Leicester’s famous triumph in 2016.
While the Foxes won the trophy that season, there is no doubt that Nuno’s men face a tougher task with Liverpool and Arsenal at their backs.
And when asked about his aspirations this season, the Forest boss once again evaded the question.
He added: “It’s not about the game, it’s about the season, our strengths and our weaknesses. It’s about realizing what we can do, what we are capable of doing, and what we can do really well. That we need to repeat and then take care of the weaknesses that we have and the things that we need to develop.
“But the basic principle of our approach is always the same. What we want to be is that one day we would like to sit down and say that we are a solid, compact team, which does not give too much to our opponents, which is difficult to break down and which, at the same time, has quality in the field. ball and pace in attack.
“All of these things are ideal. We are still continuing and working on this.
Looking ahead to Liverpool. 💪 pic.twitter.com/zTyFBwaUBi
– Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 13, 2025
“I see a group of players really determined to do things well. What can happen in the future? I don’t know. The proof is that we have already done it: we started the competition well.
“I think we get better through competition. I truly believe that players, the more time they spend together, the better they can play together, and then the more they get to know each other and improve.
“I see a good group of people, more than just players. A group of people who want to do things together. It’s important – the connection, the friendliness, that’s what I really appreciate.
