Iraola’s First Anfield Test: Liverpool vs Nottingham Forest

Anfield stages a new beginning on Saturday lunchtime, and it comes with a familiar sense of expectation. Liverpool open their home Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest, but the real spotlight falls on the man in the dugout.

This is Iraola’s first game in front of the Kop as Liverpool manager. The occasion feels bigger than the early kick-off suggests.

Iraola’s first Anfield test

Liverpool arrive still searching for their first win of the new league season after a scrappy 2-2 draw at Newcastle on the opening weekend. That performance was chaotic, energetic, and incomplete – a reminder of both the promise and the work still to be done under the new regime.

Iraola will know exactly what this afternoon represents. A first competitive victory, at home, would do more than settle early nerves. It would give Anfield something to cling to as this new era takes shape.

On the opposite bench, Oliver Glasner brings Forest to Merseyside with his own plans to build momentum. Early in the campaign, both clubs are trying to set a tone. One result can change the mood very quickly.

Bold call in attack

Iraola has wasted no time in making a statement with his team selection.

Munoz comes straight into the Liverpool front line, handed a starting berth in attack. Rio Ngumoha, who made the XI last time out, drops to the bench. It’s a clear show of faith in Munoz’s ability to bring something sharper, more direct, to the Reds’ forward play.

The other big talking point is Cody Gakpo. The Dutchman remains in the starting XI despite heavy interest from Tottenham and the noise surrounding his future. For now, he is still central to Liverpool’s plans – and today, central to their attack.

Gakpo and Munoz are flanked and fed by serious quality. Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak complete a forward unit that looks designed to overwhelm, not just edge, Forest. On paper, it’s a front line that should stretch any defence in the division.

Jacquet keeps his place, Araujo waits

At the back, Iraola has backed youth and continuity.

Jeremy Jacquet, the highly rated young centre-back, keeps his spot in the heart of defence. He lines up alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, who again anchors the back line and the dressing room.

That decision leaves loan signing Ronald Araujo on the bench, at least for now. For a player of his pedigree to be held in reserve underlines how much trust the manager already has in Jacquet. It’s a big call, and a big opportunity for the youngster to cement his place.

Injury problems linger

All of this comes against the backdrop of a stretched squad.

Up front, Liverpool are still without Hugo Ekitike. The striker continues his rehabilitation from the severe Achilles injury he suffered in April, a blow that has removed a major option from Iraola’s armoury just as the season starts to take shape.

Defensively, the options are even thinner. Joe Gomez remains out with a muscle problem, depriving Liverpool of a versatile, experienced presence across the back line. Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are also sidelined as they work their way back from knee injuries, leaving depth in the defensive unit under strain.

So Iraola walks out at Anfield for the first time with a patched-up squad, a bold team sheet, and a fanbase ready to judge. The stage is set. Now the question is simple: does this feel like the start of something, or just another anxious afternoon on Merseyside?