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Postecoglou Safe - At Present

Starting from 9am this morning, Nottingham Forest were not intending to sack their manager but the volatile situation of the club and its owner the chairman indicates things can change quickly.

The fans made their voices known on Thursday, demanding the departure of the coach who replaced an East Midlands hero and it is challenging to reverse the sentiment once that occurs.

Postecoglou is the owner's choice, the club chief having selected him long before the previous manager was dismissed. Everyone at Forest anticipated a period of transition but to be without a victory in six games and losing at their own ground to Sunderland and Midtjylland were not part of the thoughts when he joined recently.

Postecoglou was intended to alter the approach but he has his way of playing, which is very different to his predecessor, so there is an understanding that adjustments require patience. Tolerance, however, is not a trait often seen at Forest. The next three Premier League games are against Newcastle, Chelsea and Bournemouth, so the challenge will intensify for the manager.

Liverpool's Keeper Injured for Liverpool

The Liverpool manager has been speaking:

“The goalkeeper is not part of the squad this weekend and he won’t travel to his national team for the international duty. The forward is going to train again today, we will assess where he is. The applies similarly for the winger. It depends on how fast the recovery goes.

“I will be surprised if he the keeper will be there for the initial match after the international break. After that things can go a bit faster or a bit more gradual. It’s hard to predict. I’m not medically trained so I cannot tell you if it is the identical issue.”

The backup keeper will play instead of Alisson.

“I believe we’ve observed against Southampton how seamlessly he has fitted in. We were aware we were signing a high-quality shot-stopper. When he plays his first game that’s a way of seeing he’s adapted excellently to the team. It’s not a surprise because he’s a quality goalkeeper. Now he can do what we’ve had to do so many times in the past covering for the main keeper, like we’ve done so many times before.”

Weekend Matches

• Friday
• Cherries host Fulham (evening kickoff)
• Saturday
• Whites face Spurs
• Gunners take on Hammers
• Manchester United v Sunderland
• Chelsea v Liverpool
• Day after
• Aston Villa v Burnley
• Magpies host Forest
• Wolves battle Seagulls
• Everton v Crystal Palace
• Bees welcome City

European Results

The evening went well for the remaining UK teams in continental competitions. And a disappointing evening for the teams from Scotland.

The Eagles extended their unbeaten run as Muñoz gets continental campaign to flying start.

European tournament summary: Aston Villa star seals Villa win as Scottish sides lose.

Supporters' Response at City Ground

Events were nearly unprecedented on a disheartening night, many local fans chanting: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.” Then the same fans twisted the knife, voicing the name of his former coach the ex-manager, with a number directing comments at Evangelos Marinakis observing with his own giant private television in the directors’ box. This resulted in grim viewing.

Preview of Matches

Without a loss in the league since their initial match, Bournemouth early momentum has been halted by back-to-back ties: at their stadium to Newcastle and at Leeds recently. Fulham travel to the Vitality on Friday, presenting Andoni Iraola’s side a good opportunity of returning to victory and climbing the table. After a hectic off-season, the manager has aimed for consistency in his team selection.

Trailing 2-1 at their opponents, the Bournemouth manager made a three substitutions to restore three regular players – David Brooks, Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier – to his starting eleven and was compensated with a equalizing goal. Bournemouth have also maintained solidity at the back, allowing only one goal in several matches between the away games to Liverpool and Leeds. The defender, often featuring in an otherwise new defensive unit, has been key to the squad's cohesion. The centre-back earned praise from Iraola for his performances and danger at dead-ball situations – as shown by his headed assist for Eli Junior Kroupi’s equaliser at the venue.