Today promises to be quite an occasion at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest host Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
The two teams have not met since April 1999. And at stake is a semi-final spot at Wembley.
The Reds have already toppled Premier League Arsenal and Leicester City, the holders, in the competition. They then saw off Championship rivals Huddersfield Town to make the last eight.
Read more: Klopp praises Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper ahead of FA Cup showdown
Jurgen Klopp’s side present their next challenge, arriving Trentside with just three defeats to their name so far this season. And Forest boss Steve Cooper has a few selection dilemmas for the tie.
The Welshman is without Scott McKenna, after he was forced off in Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory over QPR. The centre-back suffered a muscle problem and was substituted in the final 10 minutes, with a later update confirming up to five weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
Cooper had stuck with a back three against Rangers, bringing in Tobias Figueiredo for the injured Steve Cook. There is the possibility of switching to a four-man defence, or drafting midfielder Ryan Yates into the back line.
Given the form he’s been in, it would be a shame to change Yates’ role. But if he does drop further back, that could give Cafu the chance of a start alongside James Garner, with Jack Colback likely to again fill in for Max Lowe on the left.
Cafu has impressed in his last two outings from off the bench, while fellow substitutes Sam Surridge and Joe Lolley also caught the eye against Rangers. The latter made only his second appearance of 2022 in midweek. But he will hope to have done enough to possibly be considered for a place in the first XI, if Cooper decides to freshen up his attack.
The Forest head coach also faces a decision over whether to mix up his strikers. It is a tough call choosing between Keinan Davis and Surridge, however, with both having done well and offering different strengths.
Predicted Forest XI: Horvath, Worrall, Yates, Figueiredo, Spence, Garner, Cafu, Colback, Johnson, Zinckernagel, Davis.
