Erik ten Hag has named his starting line-up for Manchester United's Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg showdown with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground this evening, making a handful of changes.
United, who beat Forest 3-0 in the Premier League at Old Trafford as recently as last month, will be looking to get back to winning ways following Sunday's narrow 3-2 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Lisandro Martinez's first goal for the club looked as though it would be enough to earn the Reds a point, only for Eddie Nketiah to net a late winner for the hosts.
It means that Ten Hag will be determined to see a response from his side this evening, as they look to take a giant stride towards their first domestic cup final since reaching the FA Cup final in 2018. The Dutchman, as expected, has opted to make a few changes to the side that was beaten on Sunday, making three alterations in total.
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Victor Lindelof, Tyrell Malacia and Casemiro, who missed the defeat to Arsenal through suspension, have come into the side, meaning Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, who has been left out of the matchday squad this evening, and Scott McTominay have dropped out. It is the first time since September that Shaw has not been included in the matchday squad in any competition.
Meanwhile, the likes of Brandon Williams, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho have been named among the substitutes. However, Diogo Dalot, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Martial remain unavailable for selection, while Harry Maguire misses out through suspension.
Having made the decision to make three changes to the side that was beaten by Arsenal just over 72 hours ago, Ten Hag will be hoping to see the ideal response from his team, as they look to get back on the winning trail. It is the inclusion of summer signing Antony in the starting line-up that has attracted the most attention from United's supporters in the immediate aftermath of the team news being confirmed.
Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what some of United's supporters have had to say in response to Ten Hag's decision to persevere with the Brazilian international:
As you can see from the messages displayed in the tweets above, Ten Hag's decision to keep Antony in the starting line-up has not gone down well. United's fans believe he should have been extracted from the starting XI this evening because of his poor form in recent weeks and replaced by either Facundo Pellistri or Garnacho.
United starting line-up: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Martinez, Malacia; Casemiro, Eriksen, Fernandes; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.
Substitutes: Heaton, Varane, Williams, Fred, Mainoo, McTominay, Pellistri, Elanga, Garnacho.
This evening's contest kicks-off at 8pm and you can follow all of the action on our live matchday blog, which you can access by clicking here.
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