Forest defender Joe Worrall lets in Bruno Fernandes, but the Portuguese can't find Wout Weghorst in the six-yard box and the hosts manage to clear.

Clinton Morrison
Former Republic of Ireland striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

The atmosphere is brilliant.

These are the nights you live for as a player, trying to get to a final and facing one of the biggest sides around at home in the semi.

These Forest players should all be up for it.

United get us going in this Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie.

Just a reminder that VAR, as we saw yesterday, is in action, but away goals are not longer a factor in this competition.

We have just had a minute's silence as everyone pays their respects ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on Friday.

A reminder of the teams picked by Steve Cooper and Erik ten Hag.

Nottingham Forest XI: Hennessey, Lodi, McKenna, Worrall, Aurier, Danilo, Freuler, Scarpa, Gibbs-White, Surridge, Johnson.

Subs: Smith, Cook, Boly, Williams, Mangala, Colback, Lingard, O'Brien, Dennis.

Manchester United XI: De Gea, Malacia, Martinez, Lindelof, Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Eriksen, Rashford, Fernandes, Antony, Weghorst.

Subs: Heaton, Varane, Williams, McTominay, Fred, Pellistri, Mainoo, Elanga, Garnacho.

Nottingham Forest played Erik ten Hag’s United away in the league in December, losing 3-0, and boss Steve Cooper said: “We felt we didn’t play with enough belief and courage in the game.

“It was going to be hard whatever, and we might have played better and still got nothing out of the game. But we did walk off the pitch thinking we could have done a bit better there, and I don’t want that in these games, I don’t want any regrets.

“We’re feeling a good pressure of wanting to do well, and I just want to make sure we go into the games with a real positive mindset, I want the players to believe they can succeed.

“Of course we’ll respect United and their strengths and there’s many of them, they’re dangerous in so many ways. But we have to believe we can play well in this game and that we can have a positive contribution.”

Forest, four-time League Cup winners, were last in the semis in 1992, when they reached the final but lost 1-0 to United.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at the City Ground

They are just playing some images of past Nottingham Forest successes on the big screen.

Inevitably, they involve Brian Clough, who was just shown making his point to a journalist, as he tended to do.

It made me think how he would have coped in the social media world.

There are a lot of characters in the management game but I don't recall anyone like Clough.

Manchester United

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag tells Sky Sports: "It's a big game, we have a strong team tonight and we have to win this game. It's in our capabilities to do this.

"It's very exciting. The fans and players want to get to this final."

On United's cup form over recent years: "It's the past, we always live in the future and I think our players have experience to play big games.

"We have players like Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez, who have played in major games."

Clinton Morrison
Former Republic of Ireland striker on BBC Radio 5 Live

You need to build the team around Rashford, he's come through the academy, and where do you go from here?

Everyone wants to go and play for Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG but, for me, Manchester United are still one of the biggest clubs in the world.

He's in scintillating form at the moment and he's playing with a smile on his face.

Image source, PA Media

Nottingham Forest are 13th in the top flight and have lost only twice in their last 11 matches in all competitions – 3-0 away to the Red Devils in December, and 4-1 at Blackpool in the FA Cup earlier this month.

Boss Steve Cooper said: “We’re really excited about it and to put Nottingham Forest on the stage of the semi-final of an important competition is right, and it’s been a long while.

“We’re really pleased to put the club on this stage again and we want to make sure we do ourselves justice.

“It’s a semi-final, we really want to commit to it, we really want to attack it. Obviously it’s Man United, it’s over two legs, incredibly tough games – but ones we want to have no regrets about.

“We’re in the semi-final of an important cup. We should go into it thinking they don’t come along very often, so treat it like it might be the last one.

“There’s a real good feeling about the semi-final in the city, the stadium will obviously be the atmosphere that it’s been every single game so far this season, which has been incredible, and we should really embrace that.”

Michael Lawrence: Need to see a performance from Weghorst tonight. I'm not writing him off after a few games but I'm struggling to see how we can get the best out of him with our style of play. Rid me of my doubt, Wout

Dan: Will Anthony continue to cut inside? Will he use his right foot? Does he have a right foot?! Let's see...

Obviously it's a cup game tonight, but this is how the teams are getting on in the Premier League.

As recently as November, Nottingham Forest were bottom of the pile but have done much better recently, lifting themselves to 13th.

For Manchester United, a trophy and a top-four finish and Champions League qualification would represent a pretty decent campaign.

Image source, .

Image source, .

Nottingham Forest "should go for it" in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester United, according to former Brighton striker Glenn Murray.

It is Forest's first domestic cup semi-final since 1992 but Murray believes they have enough in their arsenal to trouble Erik ten Hag's favourites.

"I think they have got to take risks," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "I'd much rather go to United holding something rather than having to get something.

"I've also seen how that Forest crowd can really light up the City Ground. Manchester United are susceptible and can be undone, so I think they should go for it."

Ex-England keeper Robert Green sounded a note of caution, recognising the specific dangers of a two-legged semi-final.

"The temptation will be to go for it as they will know how hard it will be at Old Trafford," he said. "They have had good results at Forest this season against big teams and they are looking up.

"However, they have to get the balance right for 180 minutes."

For a full preview, listen from 31'05 on BBC Sounds

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Simon Stone
BBC Sport at the City Ground

Gary Neville has just wandered over for a chat with Manchester United's long-serving doctor Steve McNally.

McNally was doctor at Old Trafford when Neville was a player but he is leaving next week after 16 years in the job to take up a role as performance support director at PGMOL, the body that looks after match officials within the English game, now led by World Cup final referee Howard Webb.

Image source, Reuters

Erik ten Hag believes Marcus Rashford is in the “best place” to realise his ambitions as the Manchester United boss looks to construct a team that can conquer England and Europe.

Rejuvenated Rashford has 17 goals in all competitions for United this season and negotiations are under way over a new deal, with the homegrown star’s current contract expiring in 18 months.

“It's confidential about talks between clubs and players,” Ten Hag said. “I think he understands Man United is his club. That’s first.

“But also, in this environment, in this team, he's playing his best football. He’s improving and that’s about him because he’s working on the good things. He’s giving 100% energy in it, has a good plan and in this team he can bring in his qualities.

“So, this team can help him get in the right position and to score goals, where he is good at. This team is constructed like this that his qualities come in from and he knows that but definitely, he’s important for us. If we want to get the success we want, we need him.

"This is the best place to be because we want to construct the best team, first of England, then in Europe, then in the world.”

What an influence Marcus Rashford has had on the Manchester United side recently.

Boss Steve Cooper says Nottingham Forest’s history is something to embrace and use as motivation as they look to create “new moments”.

Forest’s honours list features a league title and two European Cup triumphs under Brian Clough, who also oversaw them winning four League Cups.

They are in the semi-finals for the first time in 31 years and this is their first season back in the Premier League after a 23-year absence.

Asked how important the club’s history was to him, Cooper said: We embrace it. We try not to (let) it be a hindrance or an added pressure. We want to use it as a motivation, to understand who we are and what we represent.

“I’ve said from the moment I walked in (in September 2021), you can’t get away from the history of this club, and you shouldn’t, so embrace it, represent it as best you can, but in a modern way, in a way that we’re trying to look forward, trying to create new eras, positive eras, new moments.

“That’s a good balance. This club is what it is because of its history and we should always be proud of that.”

Brazil winger Antony joined Manchester United in an £85m move from Ajax in the summer and has come under some criticism for his recent performances, but boss Erik ten Hag has backed his player.

“I think he is not losing games,” Ten Hag said. “When he is playing, the team is winning and that already gives a message I think how well he is performing.

“He can do better. I see space for improvement. For instance, we want him to be more direct, be more involved. But the team is performing better if he's on the pitch and that's a good thing. It’s a good base to build further on.

“I think he has already made improvements. He scored some goals – in his first three games he scored three goals, now he scores against Everton and Charlton.

“He has an impact but I think with his capabilities, with his talents he can do even more.”

Tristan Lomas: Really fancy the Forest line up tonight, extremely attacking with Danilo and Scarpa in as well as the usual attacking three

Brian: Seeing Nottingham Forest in a League Cup semi-final doesn't half fill me with nostalgia. Images of Clough, Shilton, Gemmill et al parading the cup around Wembley (and Old Trafford). Great to see them back doing well.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at the City Ground

Jesse Lingard injured his hamstring in Nottingham Forest's Premier League defeat to Manchester United on 27 December.

He only returned to the Forest bench on Saturday, when he didn't get on at Bournemouth.

Lingard will hope to make his re-appearance at some point against his former club tonight.