Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper hoping for another cup boost

Steve Cooper wants Nottingham Forest to use the Carabao Cup as a platform for survival.

Forest host Tottenham in the third round on Wednesday while they sit bottom of the Premier League.

Last season’s run to the FA Cup quarter-final – where they were eventually knocked out by Liverpool – aided their promotion bid.

They beat Leicester and Arsenal in the cup before going on to end their 23-year top flight exile by winning the Championship play-offs.

Now Cooper wants Forest to use the Carabao Cup as momentum again to help their Premier League hopes.

The Forest boss said: “We had to commit to all of those games last season, they were big occasions and live on TV but that was last season – this is very different.

“We want to use this tie to give us some positives to work on before the Crystal Palace game on Saturday and the World Cup break after that.

“If we can get to the bell on Saturday and look back on a good week, that’d be great.

“I’ve had a good conversation with the lads about having a positive finish to the first half of this season.

“We’re all prepared for the break – but all that happens this week could be relative to that.

“I don’t think we can afford any days off or miss any chance that can help us improve.

“Whether it’s through winning, performance, positivity – it doesn’t matter if it’s the league or a cup game, we’ll be treating it with the same intensity.

“The aim is to play well and win, it’s not a case of a good time or bad time to play this tie.

“We see it as a chance to improve – especially if a game goes well. If that happens, there’s so much you can take from it.”