Next strike of the favorites from Nottingham?
Jürgen Klopp is an experienced coach. Nevertheless, the former Dortmund man is entering uncharted territory once again this weekend. For the first time in his long and successful career, “Kloppo” will take on Nottingham on Sunday. A city that, according to his own information, he previously only knew from the Robin Hood movies he used to watch as a child.
That his LFC may be guests at the City Ground is of course due to the competition in which the two traditional clubs will duel from 19:00. It is the quarter-final in the FA Cup.
However, nobody should make the mistake of underestimating the Tricky Trees. The ambitious second division club is not only in excellent shape, but has already eliminated two renowned clubs in the current competition, Arsenal and Leicester. Although the Reds are of a different caliber, there are various aspects that we will discuss in the following article that make a prediction on the host team between Nottingham and Liverpool not at all unrealistic.
Nottingham – statistics & current form
Nottingham Forest is playing a very good season so far. After 17th place last year and now ten consecutive seasons in England’s second division, in which they could not even qualify for the promotion playoffs, the Garibaldi Reds are preparing to end this long drought. The former European Cup winners are currently eighth in the Championship table, one point off the top six. In addition, Forest still has a game to play.
This promising starting position is due to recent weeks and months in which coach Steve Cooper’s team has made impressive progress. Only one of the past eleven league games was lost by the Tricky Trees. They have also lost just one of their last twelve games at home. Nottingham are unbeaten in six home games.
Nottingham are bursting with confidence
Because the in-form Garibaldi Reds haven’t lost in any of their last nine competitive matches, and have been confident at home against QPR (3-1) and Reading (4-0), and have already knocked out Arsenal and Leicester in the FA Cup, the underdogs have to be confident on Sunday night.
We wouldn’t venture a prediction between Nottingham and Liverpool that the surprise run of the second division club will continue, but a bet on a relatively close result or a goal success of the Cooper eleven is conceivable in any case.
It is also a fact that the two-time FA Cup winner, last in 1959, will field the strongest team. The home match against the title aspirants from the Premier League is a real highlight for the Tricky Trees, who have not played in the first division since 1999. If the underdogs can build on their performances against the Gunners or the Foxes, Liverpool will also have to fear for a place in the semifinals. Scott McKenna, Lewis Grabban and Steve Cook will not be available due to injury.
Predicted Nottingham lineup:
Horvath; Worrall, Yates, Figueiredo; Spence, Garner, Cafu, Colback; Johnson, Zinckernagel, Davis
Last games played by Nottingham:
FA Cup
03/20 2022 – Nottingham Forest 0 – 1 Liverpool FC
Championship
03/16 2022 – Nottingham Forest 3 – 1 Queens Park Rangers
03/12 2022 – Nottingham Forest 4 – 0 Reading
FA Cup
03/07 2022 – Nottingham Forest 2 – 1 Huddersfield
Championship
03/04 2022 – Sheffield United 1 – 1 Nottingham Forest
Liverpool – Statistics & current form
The third month of the new calendar year is only slowly coming to an end in just under two weeks, yet Liverpool Football Club 2022 has already played 18 (!) competitive games in four different competitions. They have won the League Cup, made it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, where Benfica Lisbon will be waiting at the beginning of April, and in the Premier League, Klopp’s team has managed to close the gap to Manchester City to within one point thanks to consistently good results.
The mood on Merseyside could hardly be much better and more exuberant at the moment. However, there is an old saying that most mistakes are made in the wake of success. With this in mind, the Reds’ senses should be sharpened, especially for the upcoming FA Cup quarterfinal, where LFC will go in as clear favorites, but will have to deal with a certain amount of pressure accordingly.
Liverpool conceded in all FA Cup games so far
In the competition so far, Liverpool only jumped as high as they had to. Shrewsbury (4:1), Cardiff (3:1) and Norwich (2:1) were defeated, although it is noticeable that they hailed a goal conceded in all three games.
This, in turn, is partly due to the fact that in the most prestigious cup on the island, coach Klopp always gives his supplementary players the chance to show themselves on a big stage. This could also be the case on Sunday evening, although the Reds will certainly want to give it their all in the last competitive game before the international break to keep the dream of the “Quadruple” alive.
Which personnel does Klopp offer?
Despite that, we can well imagine that the favorite will not decide this match already in the first half. Therefore, the double chance 1X after 45 minutes is a first betting approach. Alternatively, you can bet that Nottingham will score at least one goal
Definitely missing will be the thigh injured Trent Alexander-Arnold. Whether the stricken Mo Salah will start also seems questionable. Virgil van Dijk, who played almost every game, could get a break, as well as Sadio Mané, Jordan Henderson or Thiago. Accordingly, there will be a team on the pitch that is not well-rehearsed in that constellation.
Predicted Liverpool lineup:
Alisson; Gomez, Matip, Konate, Robertson; Keita, Fabinho, Jones; Diaz, Firmino, Jota
Last matches played by Liverpool:
FA Cup
03/20 2022 – Nottingham Forest 0 – 1 Liverpool FC
Premier League
03/16 2022 – Arsenal FC 0 – 2 Liverpool FC
03/12 2022 – Brighton 0 – 2 Liverpool FC
Champions League Final
03/08 2022 – Liverpool FC 0 – 1 Inter Milan
Premier League
03/05 2022 – Liverpool FC 1 – 0 West Ham
Nottingham – Liverpool Direct comparison / H2H balance
Once these two glorious clubs even dueled in the European Champions Cup. In addition, 94 matches in the highest division of the country are in the statistics. Their paths have also crossed nine times in the FA Cup. Liverpool celebrated six victories with two draws and only one defeat. However, all these figures should be viewed with caution, as the last meeting was more than 20 years ago and dates back to the last joint Premier League season in 1998/99.
Nottingham – Liverpool Tip
Eight teams are still fighting for the coveted title in the FA Cup. The best chances are currently given to Manchester City. Guardiola’s team will host Southampton on Saturday. The other big favorites are Liverpool, who travel to Nottingham at the City Ground on Sunday in the last of the four quarterfinals.
On paper, the task seems absolutely doable for the Klopp team, however, between Nottingham and Liverpool, the betting odds on the away win after 90 minutes are too low in our eyes to identify any appealing value in it. The Garibaldi Reds have already shown against Leicester (4:1) and Arsenal (1:0) that they can be a very uncomfortable opponent at home. Moreover, their form could hardly be better. The eighth-placed team in the Championship has not lost any of its last nine competitive games.
In conjunction with the assumption that the guests in the 19th must-win game of 2022 may take things a little too easy and, given the energy-sapping last few weeks, may also spare one or two stars, we wouldn’t be surprised if the favorites and championship candidates have more problems than expected.
