Paul Merson has predicted defeat for Nottingham Forest against Aston Villa, saying the Reds are "all over the place at the moment".
But he insists Evangelos Marinakis would be silly to sack Steve Cooper.
Forest face Steven Gerrard's Villa at the City Ground on Monday night. And Merson said: "This is a must-win game for Forest - they are all over the place at the moment.
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"If they lose this game and the club decide to do something silly by getting rid of Steve Cooper - who in my opinion is a fantastic manager - he won't be out of work for more than a day because clubs like Bournemouth will be waiting to snap him up.
"Aston Villa vs Leeds United was such a boring game, especially after watching Manchester City. It's like watching any other movie after watching one of the Godfather films and that just goes to show how much the Cityzens have raised the standards in the Premier League in recent years.
"Aston Villa fans want to see goals and an entertaining brand of football, but it hasn't happened consistently under Steven Gerrard so far. He's made them tighter at the back, but Villa haven't lived up to expectations under the former Liverpool captain.
"Both teams will be disappointed if they don't win this one, but I'm just going to fancy Aston Villa at the moment."
Merson's prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Aston Villa
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