Man Utd to gain narrow first-leg advantage over Forest in Carabao Cup semi-final
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United - 25/01/2023
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On Wednesday night, Nottingham Forest will welcome Manchester United to the City Ground for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.
The Tricky Trees overcame Wolverhampton Wanderers to book their place in the last four, while the Red Devils knocked out Charlton Athletic in the quarter-finals.
Man Utd have won the ELF Cup five times over the years (1992, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2017), while Nottm Forest have triumphed on four occasions (1978, 1979, 1989, 1990).
It is also worth noting that Forest have progressed from all six of their League Cup semi-final ties, although this is their first appearances in the last four since 1991-92.
Steve Cooper’s side kicked off their EFL Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory over Grimsby Town before defeating Tottenham Hotspur (2-0) and Blackburn Rovers (4-1) to reach the quarter-finals.
In the previous round, Forest drew 1-1 with Wolves before winning 4-3 on penalties – with goalkeeper Dean Henderson making two saves in the shootout.
Having lost just two of their previous 11 matches in all competitions, Cooper’s men will fancy their chances of frustrating Man Utd on home soil.
As for the Red Devils, they head into the first leg on the back of a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday – conceding in the 90th minute against the Premier League leaders.
That was United’s first loss in 11 games across all competitions, with Erik ten Hag’s men winning seven of their nine encounters since the World Cup.
Man Utd have reached the EFL Cup semi-finals thanks to victories over Aston Villa (4-2), Burnley (2-0) and Charlton Athletic (3-0), scoring nine goals while keeping two clean sheets.
Ten Hag’s side won’t find life easy in front of a lively home crowd at the City Ground, but they will be confident of flexing their muscles on Wednesday.
Head-to-head: When the teams met in the Premier League last month, Man Utd claimed a 3-0 victory over Forest at Old Trafford.
Forest and United faced each other seven times between 1996 and 2022, with the Red Devils winning every encounter without any real problems.
Team news: On-loan goalkeeper Dean Henderson is not allowed to face his parent club, while Forest are without Taiwo Awoniyi, Omar Richards, Moussa Niakhate and Cheikhou Kouyate due to injury.
Man Utd have injury problems of their own, meaning Donny van de Beek, Diogo Dalot and Anthony Martial are unlikely to feature on Wednesday.
There is no denying that Forest have turned a corner recently, but United should be too strong for Cooper’s side – despite the home advantage for the Tricky Trees.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Man Utd will claim a low-scoring victory in the first leg – keeping a clean sheet in the process.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
EFL
252748
2
0 - 1
2.49
7°
1.67
5.50
3.75
1.67
no
no
no
0 - 3(0 - 2)
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