Clashing in the FA Cup for the first time ever, Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest collide in Saturday's fascinating quarter-final showdown at the Amex Stadium.
The Seagulls dramatically got the better of Newcastle United 2-1 in the last 16, while Nuno Espirito Santo's men needed penalties to eliminate a plucky Ipswich Town outfit.
Match preview
© Imago
Denying Newcastle the chance to complete a memorable EFL Cup and FA Cup double, Brighton emerged victorious in a chaotic last-16 affair on March 2, where Anthony Gordon's nonsensical outburst at Jan Paul van Hecke and Tariq Lamptey's two bookable offences saw both teams enter extra time with 10 men.
Yankuba Minteh had cancelled out an opening effort from hotshot Alexander Isak to force an additional 30 minutes, where none other than Danny Welbeck - who also scored the winner at St James' Park in October's Premier League clash - came up with the game-winning contribution again.
Pursuing a first-ever FA Cup triumph and just a second top-level honour in their history - after the 1910 Charity Shield - the Seagulls are well-versed when it comes to this stage of the competition, advancing from both of their last two FA Cup quarter-finals in 2019 and 2023.
The international hiatus could hardly have come at a worse time for Fabian Hurzeler's troops, though, as Saturday's hosts prevailed in six matches on the bounce before a hard-fought 2-2 stalemate with Manchester City, where they came from behind twice to snatch a share of the spoils.
Furthermore, Brighton have found the back of the net at least twice in each of their seven matches during their unbeaten streak, but sticking with the seven-based theme, the Seagulls' hot sequence coincidentally commenced after a seven-goal slaughter at the hands of none other than Saturday's foes.
© Imago
Since starting February with that astonishing 7-0 obliteration of Hurzeler's team, Nottingham Forest have had to endure a mixed bag of results in the Premier League, although a springtime revival has seen them maintain their grip on third place in the table.
Santo's side emerged triumphant from a six-goal thriller with Ipswich in their most recent competitive engagement, prior to which they also broke Tractor Boys' hearts in the FA Cup last 16, holding their nerve from 12 yards to reach the quarter-finals for the second time in four years.
However, the Tricky Trees have struggled to take that next step in recent seasons, having been eliminated from each of their last three FA Cup quarter-final showdowns and last reaching the semis all the way back in 1991, when they eventually finished as runners-up to Tottenham Hotspur.
The defensive omens in particular are not promising for Forest, though, as shipping two goals to Ipswich means that the Garibaldi have now conceded multiple times in each of their last five road matches in all competitions, having kept three straight clean sheets on their travels beforehand.
Santo's rearguard was coincidentally also exposed in a fiery 2-2 stalemate with Brighton earlier in the campaign, before February's emphatic seven-goal success; the last time Forest managed to score 10 goals against one team in a single season was against Doncaster Rovers all the way back in 1998.
Team News
© Imago
As Brighton right-back Lamptey served his red-card suspension in the Premier League, the ex-Chelsea man would ordinarily be fine to feature in the quarter-final, but he is one of several players currently sidelined after suffering a "bad" ankle injury in training.
Lamptey is being kept company in the treatment room by Igor Julio (hamstring), Jason Steele (shoulder), Joel Veltman (foot), James Milner (thigh) and Ferdi Kadioglu (foot), but Hurzeler is optimistic about having Lewis Dunk (abdominal), Matt O'Riley (knee) and Solly March (unspecified) back for this one.
Dunk would likely be first in line for promotion to the starting lineup should he be deemed fit enough, although neither Van Hecke nor Adam Webster will cede their places in defence without a fight.
Meanwhile, Forest fans may have had their hearts in their mouths on Monday, when Chris Wood was withdrawn in New Zealand's World Cup 2026 Qualifying win over New Caledonia due to a blow to his hip.
The prolific centre-forward quickly played down his concern as nothing more than an impact injury, but Santo has now ruled him out of the quarter-final, where he will join backup goalkeeper Carlos Miguel (hamstring) in the medical bay.
Santo offered rare starts to the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi, Danilo, Morato and Ibrahim Sangare in the last-16 triumph over Ipswich, and the former is now almost certain to get the nod up front in place of the stricken Wood.
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:
Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan; Baleba, Gomez; Minteh, Pedro, Mitoma; Welbeck
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
We say: Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Nottingham Forest (a.e.t, Forest win on penalties)
Forest's propensity to ship goals on the road and Brighton's recent knack for netting multiple times equals a terrific watch for the neutrals, one that could very well go the distance and be decided on spot kicks.
Hurzeler's men might have home advantage in their favour, but the Tricky Trees have already prevailed twice on spot kicks in this season's competition and have our vote to complete a hat-trick of shootout wins en route to Wembley.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
