NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS LIVERPOOL: PREDICTED LINEUP

Liverpool take on Forest in the quarter finals of the FA Cup tonight. The Reds are coming off the back of a 2-0 win at Arsenal, whilst Forest saw off QPR 3-1 last time out. We take a look at how Jürgen Klopp could line his side up for the encounter.

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https://made4liverpool.com/2022/03/18/nottingham-forest-vs-liverpool-preview/

A place in the semi-final at Wembley awaits for the winner of this throwback tie. Liverpool of course lifted the League Cup trophy at Wembley a few weeks ago and will be seeking another trip to London for the semi final.

A gruelling schedule means the gaffer will likely ring the changes for this tie. It would still be a strong enough team you’d suspect, with Alisson already confirmed as a starter. Alexander-Arnold is out with a hamstring injury whilst Salah has suffered a recurrence of his foot injury.

Alisson will be in goal with the gaffer confirming him as the designated FA Cup goalie. The back four is slightly tougher to predict with Milner and Tsimikas’ availability not quite certain after a period of illness.

If both are fit, they will line up at right and left back respectively. If not, we could see Gomez at right back and Robertson asked to go again at left back. Ibou Konaté will likely come in at centre back, partnering either Van Dijk or Matip, or even Gomez should in case Milner be passed fit.

In midfield, Fabinho and Henderson will probably share the minutes in the defensive midfield role. The skipper has already made 40 appearances this season and will have to be carefully managed ahead of the run in. Fabinho could have the first half, with Hendo coming on for the second period.

Curtis Jones and Naby Keita are likely to take the two other spots in the middle of the park. Naby has been in decent nick in recent weeks and was unused at Arsenal in midweek. Curtis came on for Thiago late on at the Emirates and looked promising at times in his last start (vs Inter).

Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harvey Elliott will both be looking for cameos off the bench at the very least, after a while without game time. Thiago will also be amongst the substitutes but with his injury history, he shouldn’t be anywhere near the pitch unless absolutely necessary.

In attack, Bobby Firmino is set for his first start since recovering from injury, after coming off the bench to great effect in midweek. Alongside him is likely to be Takumi Minamino who has carved a niche for himself as the club’s Cup specialist.

He was the Reds’ topscorer in the successful League Cup campaign and is also the club’s leading topscorer in the FA Cup. He’s likely to line up on the right wing, a position he played to great effect against Norwich in the last round.

On the left wing, Luis Diaz is due a breather, as is Sadio Mané after getting through a lot of minutes over the past two months especially. Diogo Jota on the other hand, has been trying to get back to his best form since his return from injury.

He netted the opener on Wednesday night and was unlucky to be taken off straight after. He could be handed a start here against Championship opposition to build on that goal. He provided some big moments in the League Cup and will be looking to do same in this competition.

Divock Origi will provide an option from the bench in what is set to be a strong Liverpool side. With the international break immediately following this fixture, it is imperative the Reds avoid an upset in order to keep the feel-good vibes around the club during the next fortnight.

Predicted team:

Alisson, Milner, Konaté, Gomez, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Jones, Keita, Minamino, Firmino, Jota.

Subs: Kelleher, Bradley, Van Dijk, Henderson, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Elliott, Diaz, Origi.