Watch Man City vs Man Utd on Wednesday, January 29 from 7pm on Sky Sports Football; kick-off 7.45pm
Sunday 2 February 2020 09:29, UK
Manchester's rivals are gearing up to do battle for the third time this season - and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is drawing on the "memory bank" as he seeks to steer his United side to another unlikely turnaround.
Solskjaer's side face an uphill battle to reach the Carabao Cup showpiece at Wembley in March after a chastening 3-1 home defeat to Pep Guardiola's men in the semi-final first leg three weeks ago.
City swaggered into a 3-0 lead at Old Trafford by the break thanks to Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez but despite home boos, Guardiola was left to rue what transpired to be a mere two-goal deficit.
"Man City did them a favour in the first leg," says Paul Merson. "They're the only team I know who, when they've got you down, they keep you down."
The first-leg scoreline might have belied City's dominance, Marcus Rashford's second-half goal adding only the thinnest veneer of respectability, but the challenge looks daunting.
The omens are certainly against them.
Only one of the previous 29 teams to win a League Cup semi-final first leg by two or more goals have then been eliminated, Tranmere Rovers going out against Aston Villa in 1993-94.
With no extra-time in the competition until the final, Solskjaer's side would need to win by two clear goals just to secure a penalty shootout shot at silverware.
And there is acrimony in the air around the Old Trafford club.
A 6-0 thrashing of Tranmere in the FA Cup was a professional performance on the pitch pockmarked by continued discontent off it. While fans are voicing their disdain for the Glazer owners and executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward - whose house was attacked by a mob on Tuesday evening - Solskjaer has been struggling to add reinforcements in what he has repeatedly bemoaned a "difficult" January transfer window.
United announced in the hours before kick-off that an agreement for Bruno Fernandes had been reached and after a turbulent time off the pitch, on it Solskjaer would relish a repeat of the 2-1 league victory at the Etihad in December, when United counter-attacked with devastating success against their city foes.
His side will this time need to prevail by a greater margin of course but the Norwegian is calling on his enigmatically inconsistent side to take inspiration from that performance - as well as another more improbable one in Paris.
"We've got to go into the memory bank and think PSG," Solskjaer said, referring to last year's stunning comeback success against the French side when United won 3-1 to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals, having lost 2-0 in the home leg.
"We've done it against good teams before and it gives us some hope - and the game in December of course gives us hope that we can do something there.
"It has to be a perfect performance to win with two goals against such a good team away from home, so for us it's not about away goals, we just need to score two more than them.
"When they happen and how it happens, if we concede two we need to score four, so it would be good not to concede first because that makes it less difficult."
Guardiola is targeting a third successive Carabao Cup crown but though his side are on their best run of form this season - winning seven of an unbeaten run of eight games - they have lost three of the last five Manchester derbies.
"It's Manchester United," Guardiola said, firing a warning at his pre-match press conference. "They can do it, they have done it. In these kind of games against incredible teams with incredible history, they have pride and I know how difficult it will be to reach the final.
"We have to be careful about their skills, the counter-attack, with how they can play if we let them play. They don't have anything to lose. They will attack. We know the best result is not to defend, we have to score goals."
City certainly appeared wiser at thwarting the United counter in the first leg, compared with their league defeat.
Despite seeing far more of the ball in the semi-final opener, they dominated the foul count with 16 indiscretions - predominantly in the middle third - almost three times as many as committed by their opponents and up from 10 when they lost in December.
Aymeric Laporte is a doubt again after a recent return from injury - City kept just eight clean sheets in the 30 games he missed between September and victory earlier this month at Sheffield United - but Guardiola has decisions in attack, too. A feature of the first leg was City's lack of a recognised striker, with Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus both starting on the bench and Bernardo Silva lining up as a false 9.
Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay remain sidelined, while Nemanja Matic is a further midfield doubt, but another big hurdle for Manchester United to overcome from the first leg will be the absence of injured Marcus Rashford.
Rashford, the club's top scorer, has missed just 12 of United's 90 games over the past two seasons, with the team winning just four of those 12.
Anthony Martial is expected to lead the line again but Diogo Dalot impressed against Tranmere and could be an option on the right flank if Solskjaer decides to freshen things up.
Sky Bet have United at 20/1 to reach Wembley - that includes winning in 90 minutes or progressing on penalties if they win the game by two goals.
Those that fancy what would be a sensational comeback will point to United's strong record against the Premier League's top teams. Solskjaer has masterminded victories over Leicester, Chelsea and City this season - in particular their first-half showing at the Etihad, racing into a 2-0 lead, was an impressive level of performance, although it is worth noting that two of their standout performers that day, Rashford and Scott McTominay, are missing for this one.
If 20/1 doesn't tickle your fancy, then the correct score market on a United victory may get your punting juices flowing. United are 50/1 for a 2-0 win and 66/1 to triumph 3-1 - both results would be enough to take the game to penalties. A 3-0 win? Well, that's available at 150/1.
Sky Sports' News James Cooper:
"In truth, most fans will see Wednesday's game as a bit of a free hit.
"The most significant date this week is, in fact, Friday - and transfer Deadline Day. No signing has so far materialised in January at Old Trafford, traditionally not a ripe month for Red recruitment either in numbers or quality, but right now the club needs a new face or faces for a variety of reasons.
"While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would welcome acquisitions with open arms to improve his options and the strength of his team, a new arrival or two would also take the sting out of some of the hostility we're seeing right now from supporters.
"Manchester United and their manager have a chance to take a breath and assess where they're at thanks to a stunning performance on a Prenton Park pitch that bore all the potential hallmarks of an FA Cup giant-killing. It was the first time Manchester United have scored six goals in a game since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, and the biggest away win since their current manager hit four of his side's eight goals in a game at Nottingham Forest in 1999.
"The big problem United now face is that it's Manchester City standing between them and a Wembley final.
"Pep's men will still be overwhelming favourites, and quite rightly so, but it doesn't seem quite the lost cause that many supporters thought it was when the full-time whistle blew at the end of the first leg.
"Clearly what Manchester United have to do is win the game at the Etihad by two or more goals to take the tie to penalties or themselves to the final. They've won three of their last five encounters at City's home and have only been beaten there on one of those occasions.
"But it's the other part of the equation that will be most tricky for Solskjaer and his players and that's stopping their neighbours from scoring. Only Wolves have done that in any game this season and that was back in October. Otherwise in the other 36 games in all competitions, Manchester City have always found the back of the net.
Man City vs Man Utd is live on Sky Sports Football and Main Event from 7pm on Wednesday; Kick-off 7.45pm.
You can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app, while highlights will be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
