Steve Cooper has told his Nottingham Forest side that they must be ‘almost perfect’ to have any chance of beating Liverpool tomorrow.
The Reds travel to the City Ground in search of their fourth consecutive win in all competitions and are also hoping for their third successive clean sheet.
Forest, meanwhile, have won just one game since returning to the Premier League for the first time since 1999 and although former Liverpool Academy manager Cooper is aware his team must do well against Jurgen’s men. Klopp insists his team will head into the game with confidence.
“There may not be as many weaknesses, but at the same time, you have to go into these games really supporting yourself and really thinking that you can make a difference, both as a player and with the plan. We are at home, in our stadium, with the support we receive, ”he said (quoted by The Independent).
“We are not going into the game scared and in awe of Liverpool. We respect one of the true powerhouses in the league, and any day you play against them it’s very difficult, especially if they’re on their game.
“We have to be almost perfect in all parts of our game to play well. But why not?
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“We will analyze them, as we analyze all opponents, while trying to make an impact on the game with our ideas. A bit of good momentum, a good start, a bit of luck, who knows.
“We are going to enter the game with confidence. We know that the results are nowhere near where we want them or where they should be, but the spirit is strong and the union is strong.
“We don’t look like a set of players and coaching staff that have had poor results, because that can easily happen when you’ve had some tough losses. In fact, we are really determined and more motivated than ever.
“I think you saw a bright side of that in Brighton. We have to continue to build on that as we try to improve on the ball and improve all areas of our game. This is a brilliant football challenge, to which we are committed.”
Forest will be up for the challenge and eager to cause an upset in front of their home fans.
We faced Cooper’s team away from home in the FA Cup last season and got a taste of just how difficult it is to visit a venue despite taking a 1-0 win.
Once again we will be without the services of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz with the pair remaining sidelined through injury, but after scoring back-to-back Premier League wins over Manchester City and West Ham recently, we head into the game full of confidence.
The two-time European Cup winners have opened the scoring in each of their last three home games but have failed to win any of them; therefore, it is imperative that even if we fall behind at the City Ground, we remain positive as the newly promoted. they have struggled to maintain the lead so far this season.
Let’s hope for a strong performance from the boys to see us move up to fifth place before the other meetings of the weekend take place.
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