Nottingham Forest will take on Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday evening, hoping to stun the crowd.
This weekend’s match will be the first time these two clubs have met since a 2-2 Premier League stalemate at the City Ground in April 1999.
Forest has won the FA Cup twice, most recently in 1959 when they defeated Luton Town in the final, and the Reds will be hoping for a surprise result on Sunday to advance to the semi-finals.
To get to this level of the competition, Steve Cooper’s side had to beat two Premier League opponents, beating Arsenal by one goal at the City Ground on January 9 before thrashing Leicester City 4-1 in the next round, followed by a 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town last time out.
Forest will be confident going into the game, especially after winning their last three matches in all competitions, including back-to-back Championship victories over Reading and Queens Park Rangers.
It would be quite a storey if Cooper could lead the club back to the Premier League after being out of it since 1999, and they appear to be more than capable of securing a playoff position this season.
The Reds haven’t lost a game since the end of January, winning six and drawing three of their last nine games in all competitions, and they’ll be able to concentrate entirely on this match because their next Championship encounter isn’t until April 2 against Blackpool.
Liverpool has already won the EFL Cup this season, and their quest for the quadruple is on, with their 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night bringing them within one point of Premier League leaders Manchester City in the table.
Jurgen Klopp’s side has also been given a favourable draw in the Champions League, where they will face Benfica in the quarter-finals, with the first leg scheduled for April 5 in Portugal.
Meanwhile, Liverpool has dominated the FA Cup this season, winning all three of its games at Anfield against Shrewsbury Town, Cardiff City, and Norwich City, but they must now go to the City Ground in the hopes of reaching the last four.
The Merseyside giants have won the FA Cup seven times before, the latest time in 2006 when Liverpool defeated West Ham United on penalties, and Klopp is looking for his first trophy in this competition.
As previously stated, Liverpool has not played Forest since a 2-2 Premier League draw in April 1999, while Forest has not lost to the Reds since a 1-0 setback at the City Ground in March 1996, when Steve Stone scored the game-winning goal against Roy Evans’ team.
Forest could be without Scott McKenna this weekend owing to a muscular ailment he suffered against QPR, which means Ryan Yates could start in a back three for the home side.
Cafu may so partner James Garner in central midfield, with Jack Colback filling in on the left due to the unavailability of Max Lowe.
Because Lewis Grabban and Steve Cook are both absent due to injury, Keinan Davis is set to start in an offensive role, with Philip Zinckernagel also expected to play in the final third.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of the encounter for Liverpool owing to a hamstring injury, while Mohamed Salah is once again a doubt due to a foot condition.
Despite the likely return of James Milner from illness, Klopp has already stated that Alisson Becker will start in goal. Joe Gomez is anticipated to start at right-back.
There will be changes from the starting lineup against Arsenal, with Roberto Firmino, Curtis Jones, Naby Keita, and Ibrahima Konate all possible inclusions, but Klopp will resist the urge to make wholesale changes, so Joel Matip, Fabinho, Luis Diaz, and Diogo Jota might all start again.