Previewing and predicting Liverpool's next five Premier League fixtures
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The fickle nature of football strikes again.One week after Liverpool supporters were understandably steeped in doom and gloom following a brutal defeat away to Bournemouth, the Reds responded in emphatic fashion with a scintillating 4–1 win over Newcastle—showing rare resilience by rallying after conceding first, something that has been hard to come by this season.As such, those three points against the Magpies, earned amid a fiercely contested race for European qualification, could prove pivotal in refocusing Arne Slot’s side on finishing the season strongly—particularly with it increasingly likely that the number of English teams in Europe will rise from four to five next campaign.With much to play for domestically, what could Liverpool's next five results in the Premier League look like?Manchester City v Liverpool - Premier League | Visionhaus/GettyImagesLiverpool vs. Both teams will approach this clash knowing that anything less than three points could prove damaging.City’s recent failure to win a match with a 2–0 lead against Tottenham, their first such collapse since 2018, only heightens the stakes for Pep Guardiola’s side, who will be doing everything they can to keep the pressure on the Gunners.For Liverpool, beyond their place in the table, pride will be something they'll look to get back, eager to atone for a miserable 3–0 defeat at the Etihad earlier this season in which little went right.Encouragingly for the Reds, their form has improved significantly since that November meeting.
Last time, he completed six successful dribbles, executed all seven of his long balls, had three shots on target, and created three big chances against them; imagine what he could do now with that confidence fully intact?I’ve been a big admirer of what Sunderland have achieved this season, but coming off a draw with City, I expect the Reds to come ready to play and hand the Black Cats their first home defeat after an otherwise impressive run.Prediction: Sunderland 1, Liverpool 2Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - Premier League - Anfield | Peter Byrne - PA Images/GettyImagesNottingham Forest vs. LiverpoolJust as they’ll be eager to atone for a frustrating loss to City and their struggles against promoted sides this season, Liverpool will be seeking revenge on the team that delivered arguably their most humiliating Premier League defeat in ages—a 3-0 loss at Anfield to Nottingham Forest in November.Slot's men completely fell apart in the second half of that match, conceding just after halftime to allow Forest to double their lead and extinguish hopes of a comeback.
As the season passes the halfway mark, anxiety about relegation should inevitably be creeping through the club, and the Reds should look to take full advantage of that.The main issue when these two sides last met was Liverpool’s shambolic defending, particularly from Ibrahima Konaté, who was repeatedly exposed whenever Forest mounted an attack.Now, the Frenchman looks like that performance may as well been a lifetime ago, as Ibou posted a colossal performance against Newcastle, and hopefully the spirit and fight he showed in that match will carry him through the rest of the season.It might seem overconfident to expect Liverpool to completely turn things around against a side that crushed them last time, but given the markedly different mood around Merseyside since then, I’m backing the defense to tighten up and help secure a win.Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1, Liverpool 3Liverpool vs. There’s not much need to overthink this one—I’m expecting another comfortable win for Liverpool.Prediction: Liverpool 4, West Ham 0Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League | Liverpool FC/GettyImagesWolves vs.