FA CupThe lowdown on Nottingham Forest
Ahead of Liverpool’s Emirates FA Cup quarter-final with Nottingham Forest this evening, read our lowdown on the Championship outfit.
How they got here…
Like the Reds, Forest entered the competition at the third-round stage and were drawn against Premier League outfit Arsenal at the City Ground.
The hosts caused somewhat of an upset against the Gunners as Lewis Grabban’s second-half strike saw off Mikel Arteta’s men.
Forest were rewarded with an east Midlands derby as a result, hosting Leicester City again on home soil in the next stage.
In another toppling of top-flight opposition, they earned the bragging rights over the Foxes thanks to an emphatic 4-1 victory.
Jürgen Klopp's pre-Nottingham Forest press conference
Goals from Philip Zinckernagel, Brennan Johnson, Joe Worrall and Djed Spence secured passage in the tournament as Kelechi Iheanacho bagged a consolation goal for Brendan Rodgers’ team.
In the fifth round, it was fellow Championship team Huddersfield Town who were beaten.
The Terriers took the lead through Tom Lees, but a first-half turnaround was completed by Sam Surridge and Ryan Yates to set up a tie against Liverpool in the last eight.
Previous meetings…
Liverpool and Forest have clashed competitively on 116 occasions, though this will be the first meeting between the two teams in nearly 23 years.
The Reds have beaten their counterparts on 57 occasions, while the clubs have played out 29 draws. Forest have claimed victory 30 times.
The last time they met was on April 5, 1999 at the City Ground in Premier League action, with Forest earning a 2-2 draw in the final minute after goals from Jamie Redknapp and Michael Owen for the visitors.
The two sides haven’t met in the FA Cup since the Hillsborough disaster in 1989.
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The manager…
Steve Cooper is a name familiar to Liverpool supporters.
The Forest head coach previously served as the Reds’ Academy manager and U18s boss before his switch into senior football, having moved to Merseyside in 2008.
Before that, he began his coaching career at Wrexham AFC’s academy, and post-Liverpool he went on to coach at various England youth levels, helping the U17s win the FIFA World Cup in 2017.
Cooper was appointed head coach of Swansea City in 2019, though left the club by mutual consent in July 2021 following a play-off final defeat by Brentford.
He was then handed the seat in the dugout at Forest in September last year, transforming the club into Championship play-off hopefuls this season.
“I think it’s going to catch the imagination a little bit,” Cooper said of the Liverpool clash. “That’s important for us, for our supporters here, because we’re a big club as well.”
League form…
Forest will entertain the Reds at the City Ground unbeaten in their last seven outings in the Championship.
The hosts have won four and drawn three in that period, coming from behind in midweek to defeat Queens Park Rangers 3-1.
FA Cup pedigree…
This season’s tournament is the first time Forest have reached the FA Cup quarter-finals for 26 years.
They have won English football’s oldest competition twice in the club’s history, in the 1897-98 season and again in 1958-59.
Forest reached the 1990-91 final but were beaten 2-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in extra-time at Wembley.
This article has been automatically translated and, while all reasonable efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, some errors in translation are possible. Please refer to the original English-language version of the article for the official version.