Paul Merson has strongly backed Liverpool to claim a comfortable victory against Nottingham Forest this Sunday, going against the more cautious outlook suggested by data models and supercomputer simulations for the tricky City Ground clash.
While Opta’s supercomputer gives Arne Slot’s side only a 51% chance of winning away to the relegation-threatened hosts—assigning Forest a 25.7% shot at victory and a 23.3% draw probability—Merson is far more emphatic in his support for the Reds.
In his latest predictions column for Sportskeeda, the Sky Sports pundit described the fixture as a “humungous game at both ends of the table” and dismissed any notion of an upset.
He pointed to Liverpool’s recent dominance, including their thrashing of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light (a feat no other team has matched this season), the returning form of Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah, and a now-settled starting lineup with at least nine “nailed-on” players.
Merson declared: “I expect a comfortable win.”
He is tipping a clear-cut 2-0 success for the visitors, a prediction that contrasts sharply with the supercomputer’s narrower edge for Liverpool and the historical “banana skin” factor—Forest have troubled Slot before, including a 3-0 Anfield win in November and two victories plus a draw in his prior visits to Trentside.
Despite Vitor Pereira’s arrival potentially sparking a new-manager bounce (as he did at Wolves last season) and Forest’s dire position in 17th, Merson remains unconvinced by the data-driven caution and is firmly in the Liverpool camp, expecting them to avenge past defeats and grab all three points to boost their push for Champions League qualification.
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