Liverpool Given Major Selection Headache for Revenge Clash

Liverpool’s push for Champions League football has been complicated by a deepening injury crisis at right back, leaving Arne Slot with limited options ahead of Sunday’s revenge mission at Nottingham Forest. The Athletic reports that Jeremie Frimpong will miss the trip to the City Ground, extending his absence to a fifth consecutive match and intensifying an already problematic situation on the Reds’ right flank.

Frimpong, who arrived at Anfield last summer, has endured an injury-ravaged debut campaign on Merseyside. Two separate hamstring setbacks and a persistent groin complaint have restricted the Dutch defender to only 19 appearances in all competitions. His latest lay-off compounds the loss of Conor Bradley for the remainder of the season and the recent addition of stand-in right back Wataru Endō to the treatment room.

Slot’s squad depth is therefore being stress-tested at a pivotal moment. Joe Gomez’s return from injury has provided a glimmer of relief—he has logged back-to-back substitute outings—but Liverpool’s medical staff remain cautious. Having spent portions of the year filling in at centre back, Gomez is still managed carefully to avoid a relapse, meaning minutes must be rationed.

That leaves the manager scouring the midfield for emergency cover. Curtis Jones deputised admirably in last weekend’s 3-0 FA Cup victory over Brighton & Hove Albion, scoring during an eye-catching performance, while Dominik Szoboszlai has previously thrived when pushed into the defensive line. Deploying the Hungarian in defence, however, strips Liverpool of his creative influence higher up the pitch, a trade-off Slot is reluctant to make with qualification hopes hanging in the balance.

The stakes could hardly be higher. Liverpool sit sixth, several points adrift of Chelsea and Manchester United, and know that anything less than three points against struggling Forest would dent their top-five ambitions. A fifth-placed finish is likely to secure passage into next season’s Champions League, heightening the importance of Sunday’s encounter.

Complicating matters is the psychological dimension. November’s reverse fixture saw Forest inflict a humiliating 3-0 defeat on Liverpool at Anfield, their second straight home loss to the East Midlands club. The memory of that bruising afternoon still lingers, ensuring complacency will not creep into the visitors’ mindset despite the hosts’ managerial upheaval. Vítor Pereira has replaced Sean Dyche in the City Ground dugout and will be eager to orchestrate an immediate bounce, yet Liverpool view the fixture as an opportunity to exorcise recent demons and reignite their European charge.

With kick-off looming, Slot must weigh the merits of a half-fit specialist defender, a midfielder learning the role on the fly, or sacrificing Szoboszlai’s attacking spark. Whichever solution he chooses, the outcome at the City Ground could shape the Reds’ season.