News'Progress a necessity' - Arne Slot's programme notes for Nottm Forest clash

"It is good to be back," writes the Reds head coach. "Not just because it has been a couple of weeks since we last played, but also to be at home in front of our own fans in the knowledge of the backing that we always receive here and the strong form that this contributes to.

"This is something that we can not and should not lose sight of. The week before the international break did not end in the way we would have wanted it to but this does not erase what happened in the two previous fixtures.

"Yes, it was a bad end to that week but at the same time it should not be lost sight of that it was a bad end to a good week. Our victories and performances against Aston Villa and Real Madrid – two teams who came to Anfield in very good form – allowed us to make two steps forward following a very difficult period in which results definitely were not good enough.

"So it was two steps forward followed by one step back and this means we have made progress at the same time as knowing there is a lot of work that needs to be done and more steps that need to be taken.

"Today brings us an opportunity on both fronts and we know that – as always – the harder we work the more likely we are to make the progress that isn't just desired, it is a necessity of being part of a club like Liverpool where expectations are only ever really high and rightly so.

"There has been a lot of talk about where we are at as a team – something else that is part and parcel of being at a club like Liverpool – but we know this better than anyone. Just as we were not perfect last season when we became champions and just as we knew we needed a lot of late goals to win our early games this season, we recognise that in a lot of our recent fixtures our biggest issue has been being on the wrong side of the small margins.

"This was even true of our defeat against Manchester City, even though we certainly would not challenge the belief that our opponents were deserved winners that day and we also recognise that our performance level was not what it should have been.

"There are small margins that we cannot always control – as Virgil [van Dijk]'s disallowed goal in that game demonstrated – but there are ones that we can and must do better in. If we do this, then it will become easier to sustain the kind of form that allowed us to get positive results against Villa and Real.

"This journey will not come without challenge of course and today that comes from a Nottingham Forest team which we know is capable of causing problems for any opponents, especially as it is clear that their own form and performances have been improving in recent weeks.

"I would like to welcome Sean Dyche, his players and staff and the supporters and officials of Forest to Anfield in the knowledge of the quality they will bring and the need this creates for us to perform at a very high level.

"This is the nature of the Premier League. In other leagues it is sometimes possible to see a team that is towards the bottom and maybe see them as an 'easier' opponent but this definitely isn't true in England. It was only a matter of months ago that Forest finished seventh with 65 points having won at Anfield earlier in the season, so we know that their level is much higher than the current league table might suggest.

"We also believe the same is true of ourselves but there is no point just saying it or thinking it, we have to go and prove it."

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