Jurgen Klopp says Darwin Nunez is "a long-term project" at Liverpool and insists the striker is "still adapting" to life with the Reds.

The Uruguay international, who moved to Anfield from Benfica ahead of this season for an initial fee of £64million, has scored 15 goals in 37 appearances during his debut season with Liverpool, who are eighth in the Premier League and nine points off the top four.

Although, Nunez has found game time hard to come by in recent times, starting just one of the Reds' last four matches, with Klopp opting for a front three of Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota.

But the Reds boss, who will be without Roberto Firmino for the visit of Nottingham Forest on Saturday due to a muscle injury, insists the 23-year-old will get plenty of opportunities between now and the end of the season.

"Darwin is a player with a different skill set to our other players, which is good," Klopp said during his pre-match press conference. "He's a real handful, a machine.

"He will score a lot of goals, and he's scored a decent number already. But of course, he's still adapting. His English still isn't great, but we're working on that.

"It's not helpful to go through a debut season when it's difficult for the whole team. How can a striker shine when the whole team is struggling? It's not impossible, but he's had some super moments.

"He was injured in some moments, suspended in others. This is a long-term project.

"I understand that he wants to play desperately from the beginning, but we have to find a way that really works for us again and then fit in the players we can use with the specific strengths.

"I am completely fine with the situation and I understand that Darwin isn't always fine. He doesn't smile in my face when he realises he won't start and say: 'thank you, boss'. 

"But when you have five or six players available up front, you have to make decisions. The door is miles open. He came on the other night and was exceptional. It was exactly the right way. With five games in the next two weeks, Darwin will start games, definitely."

With Luis Diaz also returning to fitness in recent weeks, what must Nunez do to give himself the best opportunity to regain his place in the starting line-up?

"The ticket into this team must be and will be counter-pressing," Klopp added. "We had so many games where I didn't like that, and it's a pretty strict thing.

"All five available now can do it pretty well. If you do it in a game you play, then you'll have a good chance of starting again.

"We have opportunities to change and with five games in the next two weeks, there will be changes. Everyone will play, everyone is super important to us.

"But the ticket will be the desire to win the ball back after we've lost it, because we had so many times when that made the difference in games. It's super important against deep-defending sides."

Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool's forwards counter-pressing will always be the "ticket" into his starting lineup, as Roberto Firmino was ruled out of Saturday's game against Nottingham Forest.

Liverpool ended a five-match winless run by thrashing Leeds United 6-1 last time out, with attacking quartet Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez all on target.

Liverpool are looking to move within six points of the Premier League's top four when they host Forest, before Champions League contenders Newcastle United and Tottenham face off on Sunday.

The Reds will be without Firmino for their next game after he sustained a muscle injury, which could also force him to sit out meetings with West Ham and Tottenham next week.

"Unfortunately Bobby picked up a muscle issue, we'll see how long that takes," Klopp said.

"It's not too serious, but he's definitely out for tomorrow and next week we have two more games. I'd say those are impossible as well, we will see. We have to take it day by day."

With Luis Diaz's return from injury adding to Liverpool's options in attack, Klopp was asked how he selects a three-man frontline from the six elite forwards in his squad.

"The ticket into this team will definitely be counter-pressing," he said. "That's where everything started, I wouldn't say that we lost it a little bit… but we had so many games where I didn't like that.

"That's a pretty strict thing. All five available right now – six with Bobby – can do it pretty well. But if you do it in the games you play, you have the chance to start again.

"Everybody's super important and everyone will play, but again, the ticket will be the desire to win the ball back as soon as we lose it, because we had so many times where that made a difference."

The fierce competition for places in Liverpool's attack has seen Nunez start their last two games on the bench, and Klopp says the Uruguayan is still adapting amid a difficult debut season.

"Darwin is a player with a different skillset to all our other players. He's a real handful and he already scored a decent number of goals," Klopp said.

"Of course, he's still adapting, his English is still not great if it exists at all – we are working on that. 

"It's not helpful to go through a difficult debut season for the whole team. How can a striker shine when the whole team is struggling? 

"It's no problem at all, this is a long-term project. I understand that he wants to play from the beginning, but we have to find a way of playing that works for us, then fit in the players." 

Jurgen Klopp has no interest in looking beyond Saturday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest, knowing Liverpool must realistically win every match to have a hope of qualifying for the Champions League.

The Reds are nine points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United with only eight games to play.

Although they have a favourable schedule, time is running out for a team who have been wildly inconsistent.

Klopp acknowledged that inconsistency on Friday as he described Liverpool's "average season" that has included "a couple of the highest results in this club's history".

Ahead of the first of five remaining home matches, Klopp's full focus was on Forest.

"When you are in a super moment in a season, the only game you have to worry about is the next one," he said. "If you are not in a super moment, you also only have to worry about the next one.

"I could not care less about where we are playing after tomorrow, to be honest. 

"Whatever we can do this season, the only thing that gives us any chance is to win our games. All our focus is on Nottingham."

Forest are on a 10-match winless run but won the reverse fixture, even if Steve Cooper recognises this is a very different task.

"Playing Liverpool at Anfield is different and we know everything that comes with that, but the moment we stop believing we can win games that's when it becomes really difficult," Cooper said.

"It's a big challenge but a great challenge as well and one we're really tackling."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool – Trent Alexander-Arnold

Alexander-Arnold is thriving in a new hybrid midfield role, tallying three assists across his past two games, including the 50th of his Premier League career against Leeds United on Monday. He is the third-youngest player to hit that mark and is coming back into form at a key stage of the season.

Nottingham Forest – Taiwo Awoniyi

Awoniyi returned to the line-up against Manchester United last time out, making just his 10th start of the league season three months on from his ninth. He has been restricted to just four goals, but three of those have come in 1-0 wins, including against Liverpool. Now would be a good time to come up with another.

MATCH PREDICTION – LIVERPOOL WIN

Both the form book and the history books are quite clear on this one. Liverpool have lost only one of their past 37 home league games, while they are unbeaten in 23 home league games against Forest.

That last Forest league win at Anfield was back in 1969, and to end that barren run would mean becoming only the third promoted team to do the double over Liverpool in the Premier League era.

Including in the reverse match at the City Ground, Forest have only won this season when keeping a clean sheet, yet they have now conceded in 10 consecutive games, hence their winless run.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Liverpool – 76.7 per cent

Forest – 7.1 per cent

Draw – 16.2 per cent

Trent Alexander-Arnold's ability to step into midfield was never in doubt, says Jurgen Klopp, but the Liverpool boss has warned his new hybrid role cannot solve all the Reds' problems.

Alexander-Arnold produced an impressive display in Monday's 6-1 rout of Leeds United at Elland Road, drifting infield from his right-back position to register two assists.

By teeing up goals for Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, Alexander-Arnold reached 50 Premier League assists – only Kevin De Bruyne (84), Andrew Robertson (53) and Mohamed Salah (53) have managed more in the competition since his December 2016 debut.

Alexander-Arnold's position has been the subject of much debate this term, with his defensive shortcomings being criticised amid a poor campaign for Liverpool.  

Asked whether Alexander-Arnold would remain in his new role for the long term, Klopp said: "We will see that. 

"In all the positions he played for us, Trent has always been a super important player. This slightly advanced role, at the moment, suits him really well. It's good.

"It's a challenge for everybody else to cover the spaces when we lose the ball, theoretically, but with him there we didn't lose many balls [against Leeds], which was helpful. 

"It's not written in stone or whatever. He can play in different ways, and how he played in the last two games was really, really good. That's true."

Having only registered two assists in his first 27 Premier League appearances this season, Alexander-Arnold has three in his last two ahead of Saturday's meeting with Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

Liverpool approach that game nine points adrift of the Premier League's top four, and while Klopp has been delighted with Alexander-Arnold's impact in his new role, he knows the 24-year-old cannot solve all the team's problems.

"It's not the first time we played it like that. It's slightly different, but not as different," Klopp continued. "Trent's a smart player, but it's more about how we set up around Trent. 

"Whether he could play the position was never in doubt, but you have to set up around him, because there are moments when we lose the ball and have a different formation.

"How do we get him on the ball? Obviously that's important. Maybe we'll do it like this tomorrow – we will see – but maybe Trent shows up there and gets a man-marker.

"It's not the solution to all the problems we had this year. He has the potential to play that position, that was always clear. We will see where it leads to."

Just as Premier League managers toy with their options for crucial run-in games, fantasy bosses are weighing up who should slot into their teams this weekend.

Some will be looking to consolidate lofty positions, but many will be eyeing a gamble in a late attempt to shuffle up the standings.

It comes down to analysing form, whether recent or over a longer course of time.

Using Opta data, Stats Perform selects four players you might consider for the latest set of matches.
 

Jose Sa (Leicester City v Wolves)

In a midlands battle between hosts in the relegation mire and visitors who are creeping clear of trouble, Wolves may need goalkeeper Jose Sa to be at his sharpest.

Only three teams have recorded more Premier League shutouts than Wolves in 2023 (5), while Sa is the eighth different goalkeeper to have recorded at least 20 clean sheets since the start of last season.

He is targeting a third successive clean sheet this weekend, and since the start of last season, only Alisson (14.2) and Bernd Leno (9.9) have prevented more goals than Sa (6.4), based on Opta's xG model.

Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace v Everton)

We've seen an April shower of goals from Crystal Palace this month, and now lowly Everton are the visitors to Selhurst Park.

Since the start of April, only Manchester City (11) have scored more goals in the Premier League than Palace (9), with Eberechi Eze netting three of those.

With seven goals and three assists this season, he has already equalled his best tally for goal involvements in the Premier League season (also 10 in 2020-21), and under Roy Hodgson's leadership he is clearly thriving again.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool v Nottingham Forest)

Setting penalties to one side, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has been showing some serious form of late, hitting a double last time out at Leeds United.

Only Ollie Watkins (14) and Erling Haaland (13) have been involved in more Premier League goals in 2023 than the Liverpool forward, with Salah totting up 11 involvements (8 goals, 3 assists), nine of which have come since the beginning of March.

In his last 10 Premier League games against teams that have come up from the Championship, as Forest did at the start of this campaign, Salah has been involved in nine goals (6 goals, 3 assists).

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth v West Ham)

When Dominic Solanke gets hot, the opposition soon know about it.

He has become just the fifth different player for Bournemouth to record at least five goals and five assists in a Premier League season, achieving that by scoring once and providing two assists last time out against Tottenham.

The 25-year-old former Liverpool player had a stunning 2021-22 campaign in the Championship with the Cherries, and while he has not consistently hit the same heights in the top flight, the Tottenham game was the third of the Premier League season in which he has both scored and assisted. Nobody in the league has done so on more occasions, heading into this weekend's round of games.

Keylor Navas believes he could help Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League next season and feels capable of playing for "any team."

The 36-year-old Costa Rica international swapped life in the French capital for a Premier League relegation battle by joining Nottingham Forest on loan for the rest of the season in January.

Navas would relish another opportunity with the Ligue 1 leaders after Gianluigi Donnarumma took over as PSG's first-choice keeper.

He told Canal+ "I have one year left on my contract in Paris. If I have to go back there and play, I feel capable of winning the Champions League with PSG.

"I didn't like the situation I was experiencing in Paris. I wanted to feel that the team loved me. I always felt in good condition to play.

"When I was at PSG nobody could say that I was causing problems, that I wasn't training or that I wasn't working well On the contrary, I wanted to train even more and show that I could play. But unfortunately I didn't have the chance."

Navas has no idea where he will be playing next season and is keeping his options open.

He added: "I feel capable of playing for any team. We'll see what happens in the future. I would like, when I finish my loan here, to see the club's intentions. Then we can make decisions."

Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper described the decision not to award his team a penalty against Manchester United as a "really poor error".

United went on to win 2-0 at the City Ground on Sunday thanks to goals from Antony and Diogo Dalot, but not before they had escaped a handball shout with the game still goalless.

A Forest corner in the 19th minute struck the outstretched arm of Harry Maguire – who had already been booked – at the far post, with the hosts immediately appealing to referee Simon Hooper for a penalty.

After consultation with the VAR, Hooper waved away the claims.

"I personally think it's a penalty," Cooper told Sky Sports after the game. "It's a really, really poor error.

"The referee should see it, but I understand why he hasn't because of the angle and the amount of players. But why the VAR hasn't is not right, in my opinion.

"It's another moment that will put big scrutiny on VAR. There's been a lot of negative decisions over the last few weeks, and that's another one.

"I'm not going to stand here and say it's the reason we didn't win the game, although it could be a second yellow and a red for Maguire, and we could have scored the penalty and gone 1-0 up.

"It has a big impact, I'm really biting my tongue because I don't want to use it as an excuse for why we lost the game or why we're in the league position we are in; it's not.

"But it's a bad error. How [VAR] Andy Madley hasn't seen it needs looking at."

The incident came just a week after a number of questionable decisions from officials in Tottenham's 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion, after which refereeing body PGMOL issued an apology to the Seagulls.

Forest remain in the Premier League relegation zone on goal difference behind 17th-placed Everton and have now gone 10 games without a win.

Erik ten Hag had hoped his Manchester United team would kill off Nottingham Forest earlier than they did as they ran out 2-0 victors at the City Ground on Sunday.

Antony put the Red Devils ahead in the first-half, but United struggled to find a way past Keylor Navas again until Diogo Dalot grabbed a second in the 76th minute.

United ended the game with an expected goals rate (xG) of 3.49, and ultimately secured three points to leapfrog Newcastle United into third place in the Premier League.

"A solid performance. A well deserved win. The only criticism I could say, it had to be higher, the score. It had to be 3-0 or 4-0. We missed a lot of chances there," Ten Hag told Sky Sports after the game.

"You want to score and finish and kill the game in the early moments. That's always important. In big games you don't create so many chances, so you have to score them.

"We need more goalscorers and I'm happy with Antony. He scored a goal, gave an assist. His start in the game wasn't that good... But after he came into the game and he was continually a threat for the opponent."

United were without top scorer Marcus Rashford through injury, as well as defensive pair Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez after both suffered knocks in Thursday's 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first leg draw with Sevilla.

To add to Ten Hag's issues, Marcel Sabitzer was forced to pull out of the game after being injured in the warm-up on Sunday, and was replaced by Christian Eriksen.

It may have even been a benefit for Ten Hag, with the midfield trio of Casemiro, Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes winning 15 of their 17 matches started together at the club, drawing the other two.

"Sabitzer came off in the warm-up, he felt something. We decided not to take the risk, we will find out tomorrow what it is," the Red Devils' manager explained to BBC Sport. "But when you have Eriksen on the bench, it is definitely not a disadvantage.

"Last week I had nine fit top defenders, now I have four. We need all our players, we are still in three competitions, we need all the players to form a top team."

Dalot celebrated with notable enthusiasm when he made it 2-0 after running onto a pass from Antony and finishing calmly, and he explained to the BBC: "It was a release of emotions, more than the goal it was the moment of the goal, we needed it to be more comfortable.

"One-nil up with 10 minutes to go, it's going to be a war, so it came at the right moment."

Manchester United beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 on Sunday at the City Ground to strengthen their hold on a Champions League qualification spot.

Goals in either half from Antony and Diogo Dalot were enough to take Erik ten Hag's men up to third in the Premier League table, overtaking Newcastle United after their defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Forest – without a win in 10 – remain in the relegation zone, behind Everton on goal difference.

United's injury issues lengthened further after Marcel Sabitzer pulled up with a groin problem in the warm-up, with Christian Eriksen replacing him in the starting line-up, but that did not appear to weaken the Red Devils.

Jadon Sancho had a glorious chance to give the visitors the lead inside the first minute after Keylor Navas palmed a Bruno Fernandes cross straight to him, but the former Borussia Dortmund man could only hit Felipe with his effort.

Harry Maguire was lucky not to concede a penalty when a Forest corner struck the England defender's outstretched arm at the far post, and United took full advantage of that moment of fortune.

Fernandes had been pulling the strings in midfield, and in the 32nd minute, found Anthony Martial with a throughball. The Frenchman's shot was saved by Navas, but Antony followed in for a simple tap in at the back post.

Navas tipped a Fernandes effort from an angle onto the bar early in the second half, while Martial missed a good headed chance with 20 minutes remaining as United looked for a second.

That arrived in the 76th minute as Antony played a neat ball into the path of Dalot, who raced into the penalty area and finished well past Navas as United secured just their second away league win of 2023.

Erik ten Hag told Manchester United to "look in the mirror" and cut out their costly errors as he deployed a Dutch idiom to explain how he saved Bruno Fernandes from a costly Europa League red card.

The United manager threw his support behind Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof, who could both get a run in the team after injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane blighted Thursday's 2-2 draw with Sevilla at Old Trafford.

He also said it was too soon to gauge the severity of those injuries, even though he has his private suspicions.

Ten Hag then brought a touch of levity to a routine pre-match press conference, ahead of Sunday's trip to Nottingham Forest, when he explained why he substituted playmaker Fernandes against Sevilla.

The Dutch boss suspected his Portuguese star was at risk of being sent off, having thrown the ball away after already being booked, and he guessed any further indiscipline would see the key man ordered off.

"I don't want to take a risk. Where I come from, they call it 'looking a cow in the ass'. We call it that in my region of the Netherlands," Ten Hag said.

United were 2-0 up at the time of the substitution, with Christian Eriksen taking over from Fernandes.

Late own goals from Tyrell Malacia and Maguire scuppered hopes of victory in the first leg of the quarter-final, however, after Marcel Sabitzer's early double had put United in control.

"We had back luck definitely with injuries and the goals," Ten Hag said. "But you can avoid it, and we had to avoid it, so we also have to look in the mirror."

Asked about the injuries, Ten Hag could not specify how long Martinez and Varane may face on the sidelines. Reports Martinez may have a broken metatarsal were brushed aside but not denied.

Ten Hag said: "I don't have a complete diagnosis, so I can't say in this moment. When we have news we will give it straight to you.

"But let's do the medical, do their assessment and get a complete diagnosis, and then we will give the news. But I think it doesn't change in this moment. I have an idea, but I don't go with speculation."

He wants Maguire and Lindelof to prove their value to the team, although Maguire must miss next week's FA Cup semi-final against Brighton and Hove Albion due to suspension.

Ten Hag said he had "a lot" of faith in both defenders, who have faced criticism in the past, saying: "They are decent centre-halves. We have four or five very good centre-halves who can do the job."

What Ten Hag would have no time for is anyone who might see it as a big demand to come into the first team from out in the cold.

"I think then you're finding excuses and when you want to find excuses or set excuses then you don't have to play at Man United and you have to look for another club," Ten Hag said. "You have to wait for your moment and when your moment is there you have to contribute and to bring your performance, this is what we demand."

Scott McTominay and Luke Shaw, both absent against Sevilla, could be back on duty at the City Ground this weekend.

French forward Anthony Martial will also be involved but is unlikely to play 90 minutes as United manage his fitness after a recent hip problem.

"Maybe he can, but it's a risk," said Ten Hag, "and we can't take that risk at this moment because we don't have so many options in the front line with [Marcus] Rashford and [Alejandro] Garnacho injured, so we have to be careful."

Manchester City gained ground on Arsenal last week, cutting the Gunners' lead at the top of the Premier League to six points.

City, who have a game in hand, beat lowly Southampton last time out and on Saturday face another relegation battler in the form of Leicester City, who will be under the stewardship of Dean Smith for the first time.

Arsenal, meanwhile, take on West Ham in a London Derby. The Hammers are also fighting at the wrong end of the table, though two wins from their last three league matches has given David Moyes' team some confidence.

Nottingham Forest are another team scrapping for survival, and Steve Cooper will be looking to make home advantage count against Manchester United.

Likewise, Leeds United will hope the Elland Road faithful help propel them to victory against Liverpool, who they beat at Anfield earlier in the campaign.

With the help of Opta data, here are some key predictions ahead of another fascinating weekend of Premier League action.

Manchester City v Leicester City

City have won 10 of their last 12 Premier League games against Leicester City (L2), winning the last four in a row since a 5-2 home defeat in September 2020.

Having been beaten in seven of their last eight Premier League games (D1), Leicester have now lost 19 league matches overall this term. Not since 2001-02 (20) have the Foxes lost 20+ league matches in one season, and should they lose against City, it will be the joint-second earliest they have ever hit 20 defeats in a Football League campaign.

Leicester midfielder James Maddison has scored in this exact fixture in each of the last two campaigns; only two visiting players have scored a Premier League goal at Etihad Stadium in three consecutive seasons – Collins John (2004-05 to 2006-07) and Tim Cahill (2008-09 to 2010-11).

Best bet – Erling Haaland to score: Is there any way to stop Haaland? Many teams have tried, and nearly all have failed. The Norway international is already on 30 league goals this season, averaging a strike every 73 minutes with a shot conversion rate of 33.3 per cent. Given Leicester's defensive frailties, the 22-year-old will be licking his lips.

Long shot – Leicester to keep a clean sheet: The Foxes have not prevented the opposition from scoring in a league match since November, when they beat West Ham 2-0. If they are to get out of trouble, then interim boss Smith has to find a way to tighten things up at the back.

Opta prediction: Leicester won four of their first five Premier League visits to Man City (L1) but have since lost five of their last six games at the Etihad Stadium (W1). It is no surprise, then, that Opta's supercomputer has City as huge favourites (75.1 per cent), while Leicester are given only an 8.5 per cent chance of pulling off a win. 

West Ham v Arsenal

Arsenal have won 11 Premier League away games this season, only winning more on the road in 2001-02 (14) and 2004-05 (12). The Gunners have the most wins (11), most points (35), most goals scored (30) and fewest goals conceded (11) of any team away from home in the Premier League this term.

They have also won eight Premier League games against West Ham after conceding the first goal, including a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture in December. It is both the most wins Arsenal have against an opponent when conceding first, and the most defeats West Ham have against a side when opening the scoring in the competition.

Arsenal have scored 72 goals from an xG of 60.1 in the Premier League this season, with their difference of +11.9 bettered only by Manchester City (12.2). Meanwhile, West Ham have scored 27 goals from an xG of 38.4, with their difference of -11.4 the biggest negative difference this term.

Best bet – Arsenal to score first and avoid defeat: The Gunners are the only team yet to lose a Premier League game when scoring the first goal this season, winning 18 and drawing three. However, they did let a two-goal lead slip in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool last time out.

Long shot – West Ham to win: West Ham have won just two of their last 29 Premier League games against Arsenal (D5 L22), who have only lost three of their 26 Premier League visits to West Ham (W14 D9) and have won nine of their last 14 away games against the Hammers (D4 L1).

Opta prediction: Given West Ham's woeful record against the Gunners, their chances of success are ranked at only 28.8 per cent by Opta, with the draw at 28.4 per cent. The likelihood of Arsenal winning is 42.8 per cent.

Nottingham Forest v Manchester United

This is Forest's first home league game against United since February 1999, when they lost 8-1 with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring four times as a substitute.

Forest are winless (D3 L6) and without a clean sheet in their last nine Premier League games. In fact, Forest are winless in all 23 league games in which they have conceded this season (D8 L15), with all six of their victories being to nil.

United have lost three of their last four away games in the Premier League (W1), having only lost three of their first 10 on the road this season (W5 D2). The Red Devils have conceded 29 away goals in 14 away league games this term; not since 1978-79 have they hit 30 goals conceded within their first 15 away matches of a league campaign.

Best bet – United to avoid defeat: United have won their last nine games against Forest in all competitions, beating them three times this season alone (once in the league, twice in the EFL Cup). The Red Devils have beaten a side four times in a season twice before, doing so against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993-94 and Chelsea in 2010-11.

Long shot – Jesse Lingard to score: Lingard has yet to score for Forest in the league. He could become the third former United player to score his first Premier League goal for a side against the Red Devils, after Keith Gillespie at Sheffield United in 2006-07, and Dan James for Fulham this season.

Opta prediction: United have won their last six Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, scoring at least three goals on each occasion, and they are the favourites for Sunday's game, with Opta suggesting they have a 52.6 per cent likelihood of taking three points. Forest are given a 20.6 per cent chance. The draw is ranked at 26.8 per cent.

Leeds United v Liverpool

Leeds slumped to a 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in their last home game, and sit just two points above the bottom three. Depending on results elsewhere, the Whites could be in the relegation zone by the time Monday's game comes around. They are looking for only their second Premier League double over Liverpool, previously achieving that feat in the 2000-01 campaign.

Liverpool have not lost any of their last five league visits to Elland Road against Leeds (W3 D2) since losing 4-3 in November 2000, with Mark Viduka scoring all four for the hosts that day.

The Reds are averaging 0.87 points per game away from home in the Premier League this season (13 points in 15 away games), their lowest in a campaign since 1992-93 (0.76 – 16 points in 21 games). 

Best bet – Mohamed Salah to be involved in a goal: Salah has seven goals in five Premier League appearances against Leeds for Liverpool, scoring in their 3-0 win at Elland Road last season. No Reds player has more Premier League goals against Leeds than Salah (Robbie Fowler also seven), while only Gordon Hodgson has more in their league history (nine).

Long shot – Under 1.5 goals: Leeds have shipped 10 goals in their three Premier League games in April (W1 L2), more than any other team so far this month. Liverpool, who are winless in their last five games in all competitions (D2 L3), have netted 15 times in their last five top-flight meetings with the Whites.

Opta prediction: Despite their dismal form on the road, Liverpool are made big favourites by Opta (61.4 per cent). A Leeds win is ranked at 15.8 per cent, with a draw forecast at 22.8 per cent.

Wolves winger Daniel Podence has been charged by the Football Association (FA) for allegedly spitting at Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson in Saturday's 1-1 Premier League draw.

During a disagreement between the two sets of players towards the end of the second half, Podence and Johnson exchanged words at close proximity.

Although replays appeared to show Podence in the act of spitting, footage was unable to conclusively prove if the Portugal international actually spat, and therefore the VAR review did not lead to a red card.

Johnson was asked about the incident at full-time and, while he told Sky Sports he was not going to "allegate [Podence]", the Forest player also claimed he "felt like some sort of spit came towards my face".

The FA seemingly saw enough to deem Podence worthy of retrospective punishment on Wednesday.

A statement read: "Wolverhampton Wanderers' Daniel Podence has been charged after the forward allegedly spat at an opposing player during the 90th minute."

The FA also charged Forest for their players surrounding the referee in the first half, while both teams' assistant managers will answer charges of improper and/or violent conduct.

Steve Cooper is still Nottingham Forest manager despite claims he was set to be sacked, owner Evangelos Marinakis said in a statement.

Forest lost 2-1 at Leeds United on Tuesday, extending the Premier League's longest active winless run to eight matches.

It was a familiar story for Forest, who failed to win a league-high eighth game after scoring first and still have a joint-low six away points.

The loss leaves the promoted side in 17th place, outside the relegation zone only on goal difference.

Reports in the British media suggested Cooper was therefore set to lose his job on Wednesday.

However, Forest are again standing by their manager, as they did earlier in the season when Cooper was handed a new contract following a 4-0 defeat at Leicester City.

Marinakis said: "No one denies that our club is in a difficult position in the Premier League, but we wish to end the speculation and the false and disruptive reporting in the media to confirm that Steve Cooper remains our manager at Nottingham Forest.

"We have all been disappointed with recent performances, and it is very clear that a lot of hard work needs to be done to address this urgently. Results and performances must improve immediately.

"Now is the time for everyone connected with our club, from us as owners, to the board, our supporters, backroom staff, coaches and players, to come together and fight to secure our status in the Premier League.

"There can be no time for distractions, rumours and speculation.

"There is only time for hard work, determination, a commitment from Steve and the players to getting the results we need and, of course, the continued magnificent support of the fans of Nottingham Forest."

When the season paused at the end of March for an international break, Forest had the third-hardest run-in in the Premier League, according to Opta's power rankings.

They have since taken only a single point from a double-header against fellow strugglers Wolves and Leeds.

Forest's next five games are against top-half opposition, while they are also still to welcome league leaders Arsenal to the City Ground.

Chelsea seem to have resigned themselves to making a major loss on Romelu Lukaku, who has only netted five times on loan at Inter this term.

According to a Football Insider report, the Blues are ready to move him on in at the end of the season, with Inter unlikely to try to extend his stay in Milan.

Chelsea spent £97.5milion to bring Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge in August 2021, but they are unlikely to get anywhere near that now.

TOP STORY – GERMAN CHAMPIONS LINE UP SHOCK LUKAKU MOVE

Bayern Munich are lining up a shock move for Chelsea's Romelu Lukaku to bolster their attacking options, claims Fichajes.

The report claims Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann is an admirer of the Belgium striker, who he believes is one of the world's best forwards if injury free.

Bayern will not commence negotiations with Chelsea until the end of the season. The German champions had been linked with Harry Kane as they look for someone to replace Robert Lewandowski, who left for Barcelona last year.

Calciomercato reports that Chelsea may try to land a deal with Roma with a swap deal involving Tammy Abraham.

ROUND-UP

– 90min claims Manchester City have reignited their interest in signing 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz following a long-term knee injury which forced him to miss the 2022 World Cup. Fabrizio Romano claims Real Madrid will compete for the German's services too.

– Tottenham are interested in Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson, reports ESPN. Henderson is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest from United, who could use Spurs' interest as leverage in a deal for Harry Kane, per the report

– Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto is drawing interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, while 90min claims Juventus and Napoli are among a list of Italian clubs tracking him too.

– Fabrizio Romano claims Barcelona on the cusp of agreeing to a deal with Athletic Bilbao centre-back Inigo Martinez to join the Blaugrana on a free transfer in the off-season.

– Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to let Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches exit amid interest from Milan along with Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Tottenham and Wolves, reports 90min.

– Football London reports Arsenal are ready to ramp up their interest in Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi with a bid to come in the coming months, although he has a €60m release clause in his contract.

Alexander Isak hit a clinical double to give Newcastle United a 2-1 victory at Nottingham Forest and believes the Magpies can soar after the international break.

The Swedish striker tucked away a late penalty to earn the win at the City Ground, moving Newcastle to 47 points from 26 games.

They sit one point behind fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand and are five points better off than Liverpool.

Several of their players will disperse to represent their countries over the next fortnight, before the battle for Premier League places resumes.

Emmanuel Dennis put Forest ahead in Friday's contest with a high-quality chip in the 26th minute, but Newcastle drew level moments before half-time as Isak volleyed in Joe Willock's cross.

Newcastle's Elliot Anderson had a goal disallowed midway through the second half, with team-mate Sean Longstaff ruled to have been offside in the build-up.

It looked set to finish level, but a rash handball from Moussa Niakhate gave Newcastle a stoppage-time penalty and Isak made no mistake with a confident strike from the spot.

Asked about the scrap for Champions League places, Isak said on Sky Sports: "We feel confident. We spoke about how it's very important to go into this break with a good feeling.

"Hopefully this will give us energy for when we come back."

He felt Newcastle "were not on it" in the first half and spoke in the dressing room about the need to step up their level.

"We came out in the second half and changed our game and we played really well and we got rewarded as well," Isak added.

Isak celebrated with the thousands of Newcastle fans who made the trip and said: "Those late winners are the best goals to score."

It was Newcastle's first league win of the season after conceding the opening goal in a game, although at one point head coach Eddie Howe was concerned it might be "one of those nights".

When it was explained to Howe that the comeback feat was a first for his team in the competition this term, he said: "I think that's in part because we've been so good this season that we've led in a lot of games, but it's nice to be able to have that in your game."

Forest, in a relegation battle, have now lost 15 points from winning positions in the Premier League this season, with only Bournemouth (17) and Leicester City (19) having lost more.

Howe was baffled by the decision to deny 20-year-old midfielder Anderson what would have been his first senior goal for Newcastle.

"I couldn't believe it at the time," Howe said. "I'd need to be sat down and explained the rules on that one. I'm disappointed for Elliot because it would have been a massive moment in his career."