EFL Cup preview: Man Utd take on Nottingham Forest in semi-final
With their PL survival not currently under immediate threat after a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth kept the relegation zone at bay for now, Forest have been afforded this valuable opportunity to edge closer to securing a rare piece of silverware, but in at least one leg are going to have to conquer a club they haven’t beaten since December 1994 (D1, L7).
Four-time EFL Cup champions Forest have not won any tournament involving top-flight clubs since the Brian Clough-led golden era in which they claimed consecutive EFL Cups twice (1977/78, 78/79, 88/89 and 89/90).
Current boss Steve Cooper could hardly be prouder of their run in 2022/23, telling media: “It’s given our older generation a chance to reminisce, and it’s given our younger generation a chance to enter new territory.
That will always be important to me.”Since securing their last EFL Cup crown in 2016/17, Manchester United have notably been eliminated at the semi-finals stage twice in five failures to reach the final, albeit both times against crosstown archrivals Manchester City.
There are ample opportunities for an addition to the illustrious Old Trafford trophy cabinet this season with United still alive in three knockout events and with plenty to be confident about after a valiant showing in a narrow 3-2 defeat against PL leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
United accounted comfortably for Forest in the PL earlier in the season (W 3-0) as part of their prior lengthy unbeaten streak across all competitions, which incidentally demonstrates that playing away from home has been no issue.
The greatest challenge for manager Erik ten Hag at this point is preventing fatigue and burnout, for this will be the ninth leg of an immensely busy 18-game period between Christmas and the end of February.
Players to watch: Former Red Devil Jesse Lingard is the only player to have scored in two of Forest’s four EFL Cup wins this season and has been lined up to return from injury against his old club. His England teammate of yesteryear, Marcus Rashford has found the back of the net in all but one of his last nine competitive appearances.
Hot stat: United’s four consecutive wins in this season’s EFL and FA Cups have all been by multiple goal margins, as were six of their last seven H2H wins.
