NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS LIVERPOOL: PREVIEW

Liverpool have one more fixture before the international break. The Reds travel to Championship side Nottingham Forest for the quarter finals of the FA Cup on Sunday night. The quadruple chase is still on as Jürgen Klopp’s men seek another ticket to Wembley. Here’s a preview of the game.

Liverpool are on a crest of a wave right now. They’ve won nine league matches in a row to move to within one point of Man City. They’ve also knocked out Italian champions Inter Milan in the Champions League and have been drawn against Portuguese side Benfica in the last eight.

Not to mention the League Cup triumph over Chelsea three weeks ago at Wembley. The quadruple hopes are still on and Jürgen Klopp’s men will want to keep it that way by knocking out a plucky Forest side to book a semi final date at Wembley.

Shrewsbury, Cardiff and Norwich City have all been dispatched by the Reds in the FA Cup this season. It is their best run in the competition since 2015 when Brendan Rodgers’ charges were knocked out in the semi final by Aston Villa.

There’s a real buzz of excitement around the club at the minute and you can be sure the side will be up for it at City Ground on Sunday night in what is a throwback tie. They won’t have it their own way though as Forest have been impressive in the competition thus far.

They’ve knocked out Arsenal, Leicester City and Huddersfield to reach this stage and will be pumped for the biggest game in their recent history. The crowd will be up for it as they seek to take the scalp of all scalps. There’s no love lost between the two sets of fans which adds further spice to the occasion.

Forest’s 4-1 fourth round win over Leicester City definitely caught the eye if their 1-0 third round win over Arsenal hadn’t. Arsenal didn’t even manage a single shot on target in that game. The fifth round comeback win over Huddersfield was also impressive in its own way.

The Terriers were on an excellent run of form and took an early lead. Forest fought back to knock them out and seal their first quarter final appearance in the FA Cup for 26 years. Steve Cooper’s men are looking to continue their fairytale run.

The former Liverpool Academy coach has done a tremendous job since taking over in September. He’s led the club away from relegation danger and now has them dreaming of finishing in the playoff places. This run in the Cup has heightened the excitement levels even more.

Forest have lost just one of their last 14 fixtures across all competitions and are unbeaten in their last nine, Liverpool meanwhile have lost just once in the last 18. It is bound to be a good old fashioned Cup tie, and the Reds will seek to avoid an upset.

Team News

For Liverpool, Klopp is likely to run the changes after a relentless run of fixtures. Trent has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, whilst it is unclear whether Milner and Tsimikas have recovered from illness.

Salah is also unlikely to be risked after a recurrence of the foot problem he sustained against Brighton. For Steve Cooper’s side, Lewis Grabban (ankle), Max Lowe (groin) and long term absentee Loic Soh (thigh), are all out injured.

Key Players

Takumi Minamino

The Japanese international is Liverpool’s cup specialist. He finished as the club’s topscorer in the League Cup and is also the Reds’ topscorer in the FA Cup with three strikes. He is likely to be handed a start here and you can expect him to be heavily involved.

Djed Spence

The 21 year old right back/wing back has caught the eye of several Premier League clubs with his displays this season. He was sensational against Arsenal and Leicester City, scoring against the latter. He’s directly contributed to 8 goals in 36 appearances this season (3 goals ,5 assists).

Curtis Jones

The young Scouser has been on the fringes of the first team for the past few weeks. He’s been dropped in for a few appearances here and there to varying degrees of success. He last started in the defeat to Inter Milan and will want to make a better fist of things this time round.