The City Ground will get its first taste of VAR on Sunday when Nottingham Forest host Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
It will also be the first time Reds boss Steve Cooper has encountered the system. And he plans to talk to his players about what effect it could have as they prepare to take on Jurgen Klopp’s side.
All of the last-eight ties will have a Video Assistant Referee and an Assistant VAR overseeing the games. Craig Pawson will be the man in the middle for Forest’s clash, while the VAR will be Andrew Madley and the AVAR will be Simon Bennett.
Read more: Forest XI to face Liverpool predicted as Reds sweat on defender's fitness
Read more: Klopp praises Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper ahead of FA Cup showdown
“It’s going to be a new experience for me, and a new experience for most of the players. It’s one we will take as it comes,” said Cooper.
“We’ll definitely talk about it and the difference it can make. But we see a lot of the Premier League ourselves and we see how normal it has become.
“Because it is something new for us, we will have to adapt. But we’ll try to do that as best we can.
“I don’t think it will change how we approach anything. We will definitely talk about it and make the players aware.
“But when the game is being played, the players won’t be thinking too much about it. The message from me will be to play normally.
“For us, the biggest change will be when it’s actually happening, with the small stoppages and pauses in the game. That’s going to be something we haven’t experienced. But in terms of playing the game, I’m pretty sure it will be a normal approach.
“I don’t think VAR is a bad thing, that’s for sure. Probably like everybody else, I didn’t love the first season or so of it, getting to where it is now. But where it’s at now, I think it’s a lot better than it’s been. I certainly don’t moan too much when I’m watching stuff on TV.”
