Brighton v Nottingham Forest LIVE: Score and updates as Welbeck begins in fascinating FA Cup quarter-final
Brighton host Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup quarter-finals with the aim of reaching the final four and moving one step closer to the final at Wembley.
Fabian Hurzeler’s men will also hope to avenge their worst result of the year when they were beaten 7-0 by Forest in the Premier League a month ago.
Forest will be the favourites to progress to the next round which would be a fine reward for their outstanding season. Nuno Espirito Santo has led his team up to third in the Premier League table and they will have eyes on qualifying for the Champions League.
Should they be victorious at the Amex Stadium, Forest will reach their first FA Cup semi-final since 1991 while for Brighton they are seeking to reach a first final in this competition since 1983, although they have made two semi-finals in the past six seasons.
Follow all the FA Cup action and updates with our live blog below:
Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest, 6 mins
The atmosphere is rocking here at the Amex. A real big fight feel to this one – both sides know winning the FA Cup is a very realistic goal this season.
We were wondering how Forest would line up with their midfield today and it appears that Yates and Anderson are sitting in front of the back four, Dominguez a little further ahead and Danilo out to the left.
Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest, 3 mins
Anderson goes in hard on Rutter early on. Let them know you’re there and all that…
Forest win the first corner of the game, Danilo whips it in but Van Hecke heads away
KICK-OFF! Brighton 0-0 Nottingham Forest
And they’re off at the Amex Stadium. This should be a fascinating FA Cup quarter-final
Brighton vs Forest
Nearly kick-off time at the Amex. Warm-ups complete
When is the FA Cup semi-final draw?
The FA Cup semi-final draw will take place on Sunday 30 March after the conclusion of Preston North End v Aston Villa, which kicks off at 1:30pm, so we can expect the draw to take place at approximately 3:45pm or later.
How to watch the FA Cup draw
The draw will take place live as part of BBC One’s broadcast of Preston North End v Aston Villa. It will also stream live on BBC iPlayer.
Mark Chapman will host the draw, while Joe Hart will conduct it.
When is the FA Cup semi-final draw?
Why this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finals are a once-in-a-generation event
At Brighton this week, it had been suggested the club supply fans with special flags to give Saturday a proper sense of occasion, but this was rejected by manager Fabian Hurzeler and the wider staff. They want the players to treat this FA Cup quarter-final at home to Nottingham Forest as if it’s just another home game. That tends to be an attitude more conducive to actually winning, especially when you can sense the excitement building around the training ground.
Brighton are far from the only club wrestling with such competing emotions this weekend, because the majority of those left in the FA Cup are keenly aware this isn’t just another game. It’s a historic, and maybe unique, opportunity.
There will be no debates about the competition’s meaning. Most of the clubs who most frequently win it – including its five most successful clubs over the last 34 years and nine of its past 10 winners – are out. It really couldn’t mean more to those left.
Forest looking shaky in the FA Cup
A lot has been made of Nottingham Forest’s stellar season this term, and rightly so. They are third in the Premier League and already boast 22 points more than they achieved last season with nine games left to go.
However, things haven’t been as smooth sailing in the cup, needing penalties on two occasions on their path to the quarter-final stage.
After a 2-0 win over Luton Town, they struggled against League One Exeter, being held to a 2-2 draw before progressing 4-2 on penalties. They then played out a 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town last time out before coming through another shoot out.
Things have been a bit more convincing for Brighton, who overcame Championship side Norwich in the third round before impressively eliminating Chelsea and then Newcastle, although they did need extra time in the last round when Danny Welbeck netted the winner at St James’ Park.
Brighton v Nottingham Forest line-ups
With the line-up confirmed, we now know that Danny Welbeck is preferred to Joao Pedro up front and young Swedish midfielder Yasin Ayari is trusted in the engine room alongside Carlos Baleba.
Meanwhile, for Forest, the unfortunate injury blow suffered by Chris Wood while on international duty means Taiwo Awoniyi is given a chance to start up front.
The formation appears to be a 4-2-3-1 or maybe a 4-4-1-1, with Nuno eschewing his normal back three and wing-backs for a back four. Nicolas Dominguez, Elliot Anderson and Ryan Yates all look set to start as a trio in the middle of the park
Brighton XI: Verbruggen; Hinshelwood, van Hecke, Webster, Estupinan; Baleba, Ayari; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
Forest XI: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Dominguez, Anderson, Yates; Danilo, Gibbs-White; Awoniyi
Brighton v Nottingham Forest team news
Here’s how the sides will line up for this one this afternoon
Interview: Jan Paul van Hecke on Brighton’s next step and lessons from Virgil van Dijk
On listening to Jan Paul van Hecke talk, you can start to understand why Fabian Hurzeler has empowered the centre-half to speak more, especially in a week like this.
Brighton and Hove Albion have been so focused on setting the right mindset that they have been sending their squad clips of late goals. The idea is to foster belief, especially as the club aims to take that crucial next step and win their first-ever major trophy through the FA Cup. “I feel like we really can do something in this cup,” Van Hecke says.
The Dutch centre-half’s approach helps. “I like to motivate other players,” Van Hecke explains, but staff say that is typical of this leader’s humility. The 24-year-old has naturally emerged as a senior voice.
Read the full interview below:
