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Liverpool v Nottingham Forest: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 19:06 BST 28 August
19:06 BST 28 August
Nottingham Forest travel to Liverpool looking to secure a hat-trick of league wins at Anfield for the very first time. BBC Sport looks at the key themes.
Andoni Iraola's first Premier League game in charge of Liverpool may have ended on a positive note with their last-gasp equaliser at St James' Park, but it was a 90 minutes that also shone a light on the weaknesses his side currently have.
The Reds enjoyed 61% possession and had a whopping 27 shots to Newcastle's 13 but at times they were cut apart with ease by the home side's direct and pacy counter attacks.
The Geordies' opening goal from Anthony Elanga came just 10 seconds after Newcastle won the ball in their own box, while their second took just 12 seconds from Malick Thiaw winning possession to Joe Willock finishing past Alisson with aplomb.
It raised the tally of goals the Reds have conceded from fast breaks in all competitions since the start of last season to nine, the highest of any Premier League side.
Iraola takes charge of his first competitive match at Anfield looking to protect the club's proud record of having not lost their opening league game of the season on home soil since 2003, with 17 wins and five draws from 22 such matches.
However, that impressive run will come under threat from a Nottingham Forest side that have got used to winning at Anfield. Having not triumphed there in any competition since 1969 they enjoyed a 1-0 victory in September 2024 before following it up with a thumping 3-0 success last November.
In fact, since Forest's return to the top-flight in 2022 their three league wins over Liverpool is more than any other side has managed against the Reds in that time.
Forest hope for Delap boost
Like Liverpool, Nottingham Forest are trying to find their feet under a new manager in Oliver Glasner.
He will certainly be glad to see the back of Leeds United after Daniel Farke's side inflicted back-to-back defeats on them within four days in which they failed to score a goal.
A downbeat Glasner said after Tuesday's League Cup loss that the club have to a long way to go before they get to where he wants them to be.
"The reality is, and I think everybody has to understand and accept, nine months of relegation battle, losing maybe your top midfielder (Elliot Anderson), and now we're six weeks together," the former Palace boss said. "The reality is no magician, no Messiah, it's just hard work. This is what we have to do."
A quiet summer by their recent standards in the transfer market was reflected by Glasner including no new signings in his starting line-up for their opener last Saturday.
However, the arrival of club-record signing Liam Delap will give everyone a lift. The £50m striker will be desperate to reignite his career after scoring just one goal in 28 league games in a frustrating spell at Stamford Bridge.
Forest will at least be buoyed by the fact they have scored in each of their last 10 Premier League away games – the longest current run in the top flight - netting 15 goals in their last five on the road alone.
Sutton's predictions: Liverpool v Nottingham Forest published at 19:05 BST 28 August
19:05 BST 28 August
I covered Nottingham Forest against Leeds last weekend and in fairness that was a really tight game. Oliver Glasner's gone into Forest with a big reputation but they went through four managers last year and the owner is notoriously impatient if things don't go well.
They didn't go big in the transfer window but they have got Liam Delap and he'll be hoping to get his career back on track. He had a disappointing season at Chelsea - which I know all about - but I do think there's a player in there and hopefully he'll suit Forest.
It will be interesting to see who plays as that central striker. With the money they've spent on Delap then Chris Wood may not play a major role.
I thought Liverpool deserved a point at least at Newcastle and they got a fair bit of criticism but I can't see past the Liverpool win and I think Alexander Isak will get off the mark.
Last season he shot himself in the foot - forcing the move and then he had injury issues and it didn't quite happen for him. We know there's a player in there and for his sake and Liverpool's sake, the sooner he comes to the fore the better.
'It's the biggest and the greatest football club in the world' - Bhatiapublished at 16:01 BST 28 August
16:01 BST 28 August
Image source, Milltown Partners
New Liverpool investor Amit Bhatia says he recognises what fans want from their football club and has referenced the "enormous responsibility" his consortium of investors now has by buying into the Reds.
Bhatia will be at Saturday's game at Anfield against Nottingham Forest - his first visit since a deal was agreed for his consortium to buy into the club.
A beaming Bhatia, who has previous involvement in football with Queens Park Rangers, told Liverpool's website: "The opportunity to be involved in a club like this, with people like this, with management like this, with potential in the way that we know that this club has, is only positive thoughts and only positive feelings. And I get it, I understand that with it comes an enormous responsibility to the supporters, an enormous responsibility to make sure that people always feel the club is moving forwards.
"This club has been around since 1892 and the club will be around long after we're all gone. For a short period of time, if we were lucky enough to be part of an ownership group that can help support the club for a period of time, then all that we can hope for is that we can bring more success to the club. But more importantly, that we can make the fans even more proud of the football club that they support, that they represent, that shapes their Sunday mornings or their Mondays in the office.
"And that's a huge responsibility. But I think that that's something I recognise, something that I have interacted with and it's been very important to me in my heart throughout my involvement in sport.
"How can you not be excited? It's the biggest and the greatest football club in the world. And so to in any way be associated with it, it is the stuff of dreams, right? But it also comes, we know, in time with great responsibilities. And so that responsibility has been shouldered by FSG, we believe, in the most spectacular way over the last 16 years. And so if we as their partners can be involved, help, elevate the club, help the club in any way – and I hope that they see some value in us, which is why they've welcomed us to the table – we are ready, willing, champing at the bit and can't wait to help in any way that we are called upon to help the club. So, incredibly excited, incredibly honoured and very much looking forward to it."
Reds will navigate Champions League 'pitfalls' - fan's viewpublished at 12:15 BST 28 August
12:15 BST 28 August
Media caption,
Liverpool fan and author Steve Scragg expects the Reds to finish in the top eight of the league phase following their Champions League draw.
"They should do," Scragg told BBC Radio Merseyside. "That's not wanting to sound arrogant about it or anything like that but you're looking at that set of eight and you're thinking, 'yes, there's potential pitfalls' but given the format of the tournament you can have four pitfalls and still make it through."
Andoni Iraola's side will host Atletico, Porto, Villarreal and Lens while visiting Inter Milan, Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK in the league phase of the Champions League.
Scragg isn't thrilled at another clash with Diego Simeone's men.
He said: "It feels like so, so often. You are getting to that point where you just feel like you're playing these same teams over and over again. It does kind of take that shine off it and thinking 'that great unknown' or 'it's going to be great to play those'.
"I think I'm looking at it and thinking well, there's Fenerbahce away. We don't always do that well in Turkey. Turkish club football is on the rise. That might be a little bit difficult so there might be a bit of interest in that.
"LASK, what they've done with Celtic, so I think it's kind of the ones that when you scratch beneath the surface, so rather than 'It's Atletico again', 'it's Porto again', it's a case of looking past those repetitive fixtures and where does the interest lie."
The stats that show 'left winger by trade' Barcola's strengthspublished at 07:18 BST 28 August
07:18 BST 28 August
Mohamed Moallim BBC Sport Journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Liverpool have twice paid more than £100m for players - midfielder Florian Wirtz and striker Alexander Isak - and could be about to do so again.
Bradley Barcola moved to Paris St-Germain from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m fee. He is right footed, although he prefers to play on the left wing, but he can also play on the right or through the middle.
At first glance, Barcola looks like the natural successor to Luis Diaz, with the underlying data suggesting the forward could fill that void.
Opta's player similarity model rated him as the winger whose output most closely resembled Diaz's across Europe's top five leagues in 2025-26 (78%), with Salah (65%), Lamine Yamal (61%) and Vinicius Junior (61%) the next closest matches.
A closer look, however, suggests Liverpool would not simply be replacing one winger with another.
Barcola is a left winger by trade, but his game is shaped by a centre-forward's instincts.
Last season, he averaged 3.5 shots per 90 minutes in Ligue 1, placing him among the division's most active shooters despite operating from wide areas.
His 9.83 expected goals (xG) ranked in the 95th percentile among wingers across Europe's top five leagues, meaning only around 5% of wide players consistently found themselves in better goalscoring positions.
In addition, no PSG player or Ligue 1 winger recorded a higher xG total during the 2025-26 campaign.
He also averaged 8.69 touches in the opposition penalty area per 90 minutes - the seventh-highest figure among more than 1,500 eligible players - reinforcing the profile of a winger who consistently occupies goalscoring positions.
Liverpool's eight Champions League opponents confirmedpublished at 17:45 BST 27 August
17:45 BST 27 August
Image source, Getty Images
Liverpool's draw is complete - Andoni Iraola's side now know the eight sides they will be meeting in the Champions League's 36-club league phase.
The teams were seeded into four pots based on their results in Uefa competitions over the past five years, with pot one being the highest-ranked and pot four being the lowest-ranked.
Each club has been drawn against two teams from each of the four pots, but they can only play a maximum of two teams from one country and they cannot play against a team from their domestic league.
The Reds will face: Atletico Madrid (home), Inter Milan (away), Porto (home), Club Brugge (away), Villarreal (home), Fenerbahce (away), Lens (home), Lask (away).
The order of those fixtures will be announced by Uefa in due course.
League phase dates:
Matchday 1: 8-10 September 2026
Matchday 2: 13-14 October 2026
Matchday 3: 20-21 October 2026
Matchday 4: 3-4 November 2026
Matchday 5: 24-25 November 2026
Matchday 6: 8-9 December 2026
Matchday 7: 19-20 January 2027
Matchday 8: 27 January 2027
Knockout phase dates:
Knockout phase play-offs: 16-17 and 23-24 February 2027
Deal makes sense for both clubspublished at 16:51 BST 27 August
16:51 BST 27 August
Aadam Patel Liverpool reporter
Image source, PA Media
All along, Andoni Iraola has spoken about how he is waiting for 1 September when he knows what his squad will look like come the end of the window and there was certainly a sense inside the media room on Thursday that, even with Bradley Barcola's impending arrival, Liverpool might not be done yet.
Iraola hoped to have "good news" around Barcola as that deal edges closer, but he refused to guarantee that Cody Gakpo would still be a Reds player come the end of the window. Liverpool are in the market for another winger, in addition to Barcola, and there is a possibility the Netherlands forward could leave.
The Liverpool boss also revealed he preferred other options over Harvey Elliott for the 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Sunday and said the magic word is "ideally" when it came to strengthening more areas.
Barcola has been a priority for Liverpool ever since Yan Diomande opted for Real Madrid and those at Anfield are increasingly confident that there will be no complications for what would be a record fee for a player leaving Ligue 1.
Barcola would bring that star factor and inject some real quality into a Liverpool attack that could become widely feared if the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz can step up.
From a PSG perspective, the deal is progressing "extremely well" and there is certainly an element of those in Paris seeing this as an excellent sale, given they signed Barcola from Lyon for £38m in 2023 and would be getting triple that from Liverpool once you account for the add-ons.
Given Barcola would be a bench option, it is certainly a good deal for the back-to-back Champions League winners. It is a result Liverpool wanted too, having held firm earlier in the summer in terms of meeting PSG's initial valuation of £145m.
It promises to be a busy few days for the Reds as the transfer window concludes and "special" too as Iraola takes charge of them at Anfield for the first time in the Premier League.
Iraola on hoping for 'good news soon' on signings, Jacquet and Forestpublished at 16:41 BST 27 August
16:41 BST 27 August
Tasnim Chowdhury BBC Sport journalist
Media caption,
Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest at Anfield (kick-off 12:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Iraola did not speak about signing Bradley Barcola but said "we are trying to sign [wingers]". He added: "I hope we can have good news soon but we are still not there." Iraola said he hopes to keep "very influential" forward Cody Gakpo in the squad, but admitted "I cannot guarantee anything".
Federico Chiesa is unavailable because of a small muscle injury. Harvey Elliott missed out on selection last week as Iraola could only select 20 players. "It is a matter of finding the balance on the bench," he said.
On signing players in various positions: "We have to be patient, even myself, and then we will know. I will be comfortable [on deadline day], when they say this is who we are and this is the options we have. Right now, we don't know. I have in my head, what I want". He added that the club knows what he wants and then it is a matter of closing deals.
Iraola said it will be a "special moment" to step out at Anfield as Liverpool boss as he takes charge of the team for the first time at home in the Premier League. He added: "It is going to be emotional. It is a special place. I had to fight a lot to arrive to this place and I hope everything goes well and I can enjoy the game".
On defender Jeremy Jacquet's performance in the opening draw at Newcastle: "He played very well considering it was his first game. It's true he finished tired. He has been very confident on the ball and good without the ball. For sure, he will make some mistakes and we have to accept that. But he is performing very well."
Iraola said he "expected" the reaction that came after the result at St James' Park: "Everything is going to be magnified, for the good and the bad. I think I am starting to understand everything that happens. It is a matter of myself and my coaching staff, the players, how we can maximise the potential."
On Nottingham Forest: "[Oliver Glasner] has been very successful. You can see, straight away, the shape and they don't concede a lot of chances. The other day against Leeds was a very tight game, with not a lot of chances. Leeds won because they scored a free-kick in the 90th minute. But, probably, Forest had more chances than Leeds, until that moment."
More on facing Forest: "We will have to earn every chance. They don't give you anything for free. You have to be very good on the ball and be patient, because defensively they are very solid. We have to control those situations, especially in the transitions, because they have good threats on the counter."
Barcola 'undoubtedly an upgrade on the left'published at 13:49 BST 27 August
13:49 BST 27 August
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Paris St-Germain forward Bradley Barcola, who Liverpool are in advanced talks to sign for a fee that could rise to £120m.
Here are some of your comments:
Sean: We need a player like him. The market price is very high, but poor planning got us to this point.
Matt: Worth every penny! We struggled in the final third all summer, so Barcola's class and quality will be worth every penny. He'll help Florian Wirtz, who unfairly has had stick, and Alexander Isak will get better balls in the box. Just wish we'd got it over the line sooner!
James: I'm a bit conflicted. I'm not totally convinced he solves our issues, but I am glad we have finally done something. We need a right winger now desperately, but we've left it so late I feel it will either be a panic buy, or we do nothing. Praying I'm wrong.
Ravi: Sadly, this looks like another deal where we're paying a significant premium. Hopefully, he proves to be more in the Hugo Ekitike mould than Wirtz or Isak in terms of delivering value and making an immediate impact. Regardless, there are still two glaring weaknesses in the squad that need addressing urgently: a genuine defensive midfielder and a high-quality right winger.
Arron: He is undoubtedly an upgrade on the left-hand-side. However, it feels like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist there. Rio Ngumoha and Coady Gakpo were surely enough? We are buying a lot of expensive talent in areas that won't transform the team into an elite force.
Gabriel: Seems like a good deal for a very good young player, assuming the add-ons aren't too easily achievable. It's not exactly what we need most though. An inverted version of Barcola who played on the right wing would be perfect.
Margaret: We don't need any more forwards. When are Liverpool going to get to grips with a leaky defence? That's where they should be looking to fill the gaps.
Barcola arriving would cast further doubt on Gakpo futurepublished at 12:05 BST 27 August
12:05 BST 27 August
Sami Mokbel Senior football correspondent
Image source, Getty Images
Bradley Barcola is a right-footed forward who prefers to play on the left wing, and his likely arrival adds further doubt around Cody Gakpo's future at Anfield.
Multiple sources have told BBC Sport both Tottenham and Manchester City have shown interest in the Netherlands forward.
Barcola has become a main target for Liverpool, as they look to add potency to their attack following the departures of Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah in the past two summers.
He moved to Paris St-Germain from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m fee and has won three Ligue 1 titles, two Champions Leagues, the French Cup twice, as well as the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Intercontinental Cup there.
PSG had valued the France forward at £145m but Liverpool are poised to agree a package that will be worth a minimum of £100m and can rise to £120m based on significant individual and team success.
The 23-year-old made 49 appearances last season, scoring 13 goals and registering seven assists, as Luis Enrique's side secured the club's fifth league title in a row, won back-to-back Champions Leagues and lifted the French Super Cup.
Is Barcola good business for Liverpool? And if this one gets over the line, what else still needs to happen in terms of both incomings and outgoings before 23:00 BST on 1 September?
'He'd walk into the team' or 'reeks of desperation'? Fans on Sarr interestpublished at 09:55 BST 27 August
09:55 BST 27 August
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on Liverpool turning their focus to Crystal Palace winger Isamaila Sarr as they continue their hunt for wide attackers.
Here are some of your comments:
Jack: Premier League experience, versatile, scored numerous times against us. I'd say a good signing. Unfortunately, it seems like Palace want a lot of money for him and I don't want us overpaying for him. We're going for too many options right now. We need to decide who we want and then commit - otherwise, we'll end up with nobody.
John: I'd have preferred our recruitment strategy to have been more organised - identify who we need and make sensible offers early in the summer. Instead, we have all the composure of someone in Marks & Spencer at 5pm on Christmas Eve, frantically racing around because they have no idea what to get their partner.
Damo: The potential Sarr deal and Yankuba Minteh before it feels like fourth or fifth-choice scramble deals. What has happened to our fabled recruitment policy of a few years ago? We had months to get one or two over the line after Mo Salah left. At best, we look ponderous - though I fear to everyone else we look like we are panic buying.
Jay: Would Reds fans take a Senegalese winger who has an eye for goal? All day long. We know how that'll turn out. Sadio Mane was small but an absolute beast - Sarr is bigger and gives everything. He'd walk into the team straight away. Maybe he could show Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong how to win duels. Only way to stop Sadio scoring against us was to buy him - and same here, I reckon. Come to Anfield, Sarr, you'll be well taken care of.
Rahul: Liverpool's transfer strategy reeks of desperation. Switching from Yan Diomande, to Bradley Barcola, to Ibrahim Mbaye, to Minteh and now Sarr shows a distinct lack of a coherent plan. They've had a long time to plan for life post-Salah and have come up a long way short.
Steven: I am not against signing Sarr, I'm just embarrassed that we seem to have panicked and switched attention as the deadline looms. If he signs, great. It we get knocked back again it's not great for a huge club that used to have genuine pull.
Liverpool transfer plans feel 'scattergun'published at 07:32 BST 27 August
07:32 BST 27 August
Media caption,
Liverpool's transfer plans have been questioned this summer and fan Sam Milne believes the Reds have been too "scattergun" in their approach for a new forward player.
Andoni Iraola's side have been linked to a host of new attackers, including Paris St-Germain duo Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye, and have had offers knocked back for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh - and are now exploring a move for Crystal Palace's Isamila Sarr in the last week of the transfer window.
Speaking on BBC Radio Merseyside, Milne said: "I was surprised at first because if you look at the right wingers that Liverpool have been trying to sign all summer, they have all been very different.
"The reaction to the bid for Sarr has been quite negative. I don't think that's a reflection on Sarr himself because Liverpool fans have seen what he can do against us - I think he's scored six goals against Liverpool. It's more the difference in Sarr to the other players that have been linked.
"The rumours came out about Minteh and Liverpool put £60m in for him. An injured Minteh and a left-footed Minteh - which is interesting because Mohamed Salah was left-footed and Yan Diomande was both-footed, but Mbaye wasn't left-footed and neither is Sarr. That's where the worry starts to lie for Liverpool fans. What are we attempting?
"The word I've been using is scattergun. It feels like Liverpool are just saying: 'Right, who's been on the shortlist in the past? Can we get them?'"
Five Premier League clubs await Champions League drawpublished at 06:50 BST 27 August
06:50 BST 27 August
Jonty Colman BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
The league phase draw for the 2026-27 Champions League takes place at 17:00 BST in Monaco.
A total of 36 teams will take part in the league phase and each team will face eight different teams once, with four home matches and four away matches.
For the draw, the 36 teams will be placed into four pots, with one being the highest-ranked and four being the lowest. The pot placements are based on the clubs' Uefa club coefficient ranking from the five-season period ending at the conclusion of 2025-26.
Each team will face two teams from each of the four pots and cannot face a team from the same country as themselves.
The teams who finish in the top eight will qualify for the last 16. Those between ninth and 24th will enter the play-off knockout round. The 12 teams ranked between 25th and 36th will exit the competition when the league phase is concluded.
Premier League clubs Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal all feature in pot one alongside back-to-back Champions League winners Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Aston Villa and Manchester United both return to the Champions League this season after not featuring last term. They are in pot two with Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Sporting, Porto, Club Brugge, Real Betis and PSV Eindhoven.
Reds pivot to Sarr in winger search - have your saypublished at 17:57 BST 26 August
17:57 BST 26 August
Image source, Getty Images
After having two bids for Brighton's Yankuba Minteh rejected, Liverpool have turned their attention to Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr as their pursuit of wide attackers intensifies.
The Reds had offers of £50m and £60m for Minteh turned down by the Seagulls and are now exploring a move for Sarr, who scored 21 goals last season for Palace.
Like Minteh, Sarr is a right-sided winger and has Premier League experience but the understanding is that Palace are not open to selling the Senegal attacker this summer. He was also the subject of interest from Galatasaray last week.
Talks are also continuing as Liverpool aim to strike a deal with Paris St-Germain for France winger Bradley Barcola.
The club are assessing all options before Tuesday's transfer deadline in their search for wide attackers and want to make two signings before the end of the window.
Liverpool fans - would Sarr be a good addition? And how important is signing two wide attackers before Tuesday's deadline?
Image source, BBC Sport
