Pereira has the answer to Liverpool’s Mo Salah for £60m Nottingham Forest star

As Nottingham Forest left Turkey with a commanding 3-0 lead over Fenerbahce in the first leg of the Conference League play-offs, Murillo credited Vitor Pereira with inspiring a “winning spirit” at the club after struggling under manager Anju Postecoglou and then Sean Dyche.

Of course, the new chapter at the City Ground is only one game in, but Pereira’s plan to bring the dressing room back together seems to have begun with promise, and the players are buying into his vision.

However, a test awaits them in the Premier League against struggling champions Liverpool, and although Forest have lost just one of their last six games in the division, a poor and uninspiring performance has left fans depressed.

How Forest could line up against Liverpool

Pereira excelled in Nottingham Forest’s European game in midweek. There is a lot at stake in the Premier League, but taking this rare shot at European silverware would ruin any hopes of forging a bond with supporters from the start.

Pereira is unlikely to make too many changes against Liverpool. He is a positive manager and you can already see that. He’s not going to establish a solid defensive system at the expense of aggressive offensive play.

Don’t expect any changes to the backline, with Stefan Ortega reprising his role between the sticks in the absence of the injured Mats Sells. There is also a possibility that Nicolas Dominguez will replace Ibrahim Sangare in the center of the park.

But Forest know how to defend and it is the front line that must ensure it is sharp enough to conquer Liverpool’s back line, which has suffered from so many shortcomings this season. Pereira must get things right in this regard.

It’s not easy. Arne Slott’s side have improved recently and Forest cannot expect another walkover like what happened at Anfield in November.

The forwards will need to be on their A-game again and Pereira will have to unleash his own version of Mohamed Salah.

Pereira must unlock Forest’s answer to Salah

Although Salah is past his best, he remains a very dangerous force in and around the penalty area. Disabling him would be a milestone in fighting for three points.

But Pereira will need to prove he is sharper than the prolific Egyptian forward and Omari Hutchinson may see this game as one in which he can step up and prove his worth.

Hutchinson joined Forest from Ipswich Town for £37.5m last season after the Tractor Boys were relegated from the Premier League. He is a fast and technical winger who has been hailed as a “special talent” by Chelsea insider Felix Johnston, who spent his career at Cobham.

It’s been a bit of a difficult season for the wideman, who has featured in 26 games in all competitions for the City Ground side, scoring just once and providing six assists. Still, there is no doubting his potential as Evangelos Marinakis commands a £60m price tag for suitors looking to move on to the talented prospect.

Although he failed to score or assist in the Europa League match against Fenerbahçe, the 22-year-old showed immense creativity on the continental stage, creating five chances for his teammates.

He has been developed as a powerful left-footed winger on the right flank and has been hailed in the past as a potential new Salah for Chelsea.

Although he hasn’t reached the heights of the 33-year-old yet, Salah was 25 when he left Roma and returned to the Premier League to play under Jurgen Klopp, so there’s a good chance Hutchinson will make the necessary development to become a superstar.

With both Liverpool and Forest having so much width in the Premier League this season, players like Hutchinson will need to step up and prove that they are the team’s hero.

Salah will aim to do the same, but Hutchinson’s performance over Salah on Sunday will be an important statement of intent.