Steve Cooper's FA Cup stance revealed as Nottingham Forest boss faces selection dilemma

Preparations are well underway as Nottingham Forest build towards their FA Cup clash with Huddersfield Town on Monday night. But with the key game - and a possible home tie with Liverpool if they win - come some interesting dilemma's for Reds boss Steve Cooper. Here are the latest Forest headlines on Sunday, March 6, 2022...

A possible FA Cup clash against Liverpool must be used as an "incentive", according to Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper.

The Reds play Huddersfield Town on Monday night (7.30pm kick-off) with the victor to take on Jurgen Klopp's Premier League title-chasing side at home in the quarter-finals, but Cooper says his players must not get "distracted" by a potential glamour tie.

“The motivation of a cup game is to get through to the next round, of course. But knowing Liverpool is next has to be a motivation, especially with the chance of being at home,” Cooper said.

“But you’ve got to focus on what it takes to get there - and that’s playing well and winning the next game. That’s where our focus will lie. We look forward to playing at home and are focused on what it takes to do well against a strong team.

“There’s context around every game you play, and with a cup game it’s who could be next - and it would be Liverpool at home. But you can’t get distracted by that. You have to focus on Huddersfield, focus on the game plan and focus on the preparation, be ready to play well.

“It’s a good incentive, but don’t be distracted by it. Huddersfield are in great form at the moment. They are really well-coached and can play a number of different systems and employ different tactics.

“We have to be ready for that, but focus on ourselves and what we bring to the table.”

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper faces