Mark Lawrenson believes that Nottingham Forest will take Liverpool right to the wire in the weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final clash at the City Ground.
Steve Cooper’s men have already caused two major upsets in the competition, overcoming Premier League giants Arsenal and current holders Leicester City in the third and fourth round. They will now look to cause a further upset as they welcome Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Liverpool manager is known for making changes in cup competitions but has already led his side to Carabao Cup victory this season. The reds overcame Chelsea in the final on a penalty shootout.
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Both sides came out victorious in their midweek league clashes, Liverpool beating Arsenal 1-0 while Forest came out as 3-1 winners over QPR. It means both teams will go into the game full of confidence.
While Lawrenson believed that Klopp will again rotate his squad, he’s still backing the favourites to come out on top. He has however made a prediction about one Forest man in particular.
“Klopp's squad has got him this far in all four major competitions, and I think he will rotate his team again,” he told BBC Sport. “That will give Forest more hope, and they do have a clever manager in Steve Cooper plus some very talented players - Djed Spence scored a stunning goal against QPR on Wednesday and I'd be surprised if he's not playing in the Premier League next season.
“It is going to be close, but with Liverpool in this kind of form it is hard to back anyone to beat them at the moment.” Lawrenson’s prediction: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Liverpool
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The last meeting between the two sides came back in 1999. Goals from Dougie Freedman and Pierre van Hooijdonk earned Forest a 2-2 draw.
