Manchester United are heavy favourites to book their place in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley tonight after comfortably seeing off Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the semi-final.
United ran out 3-0 winners at the City Ground last week with Marcus Rashford, Wout Wehgorst and Bruno Fernandes on target for Erik ten Hag’s side.
The winners on aggregate will take on Newcastle United in the final on Sunday, February 26. Here, MEN Sport gives you the lowdown on what rules are in place now we're at the semi-final stage.
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Will there be VAR?
The Video Assistant Referee was not in operation in the Carabao Cup in the earlier rounds, but that rule changes for the semi-finals. VAR has been granted special dispensation for the semi-finals and final due to the likelihood that lower-ranked teams would not make it this far in the competition.
Lower-ranked teams own stadiums that may not allow VAR practices to be implemented. However, with all four teams left in the competition based in the Premier League, that will not be a problem.
What happens if the score is level after the second leg?
Earlier rounds in the Carabao Cup went straight to penalties instead of going to extra time. However, if the sides are level on aggregate after the two legs in the semi-final then extra time is played.
Do away goals count in the Carabao Cup semi-finals?
No, away goals do not count in the Carabao Cup semi-finals. This ruling was scrapped in 2018/19. Instead, the tie will go straight to penalties if aggregate scores are level at the end of extra time in the second leg.
What about red and yellow cards?
Last season, Granit Xhaka was sent off for Arsenal against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final. Had Arsenal progressed to the final the following month, Xhaka's ban would have elapsed by then as suspensions carry over across all competitions. Any red cards this evening would carry over into the weekend's FA Cup fixtures.
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