Listen to some pundits or have a quick scan of social media and you might question whether Nottingham Forest are even still in the Carabao Cup.
Plenty already have it down as Manchester United and Newcastle United battling it out to lift the trophy at Wembley, and that’s before a ball has even been kicked in the semi-finals. The prospect of the Reds or Southampton making it through is barely entertained.
No sooner had the draw been made than most of the chatter doing the rounds was that United boss Erik ten Hag had been presented with a golden opportunity to claim some silverware. Likewise, for Eddie Howe at St James’ Park.
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There’s no doubt that both managers are doing fine jobs at their respective clubs, but so is Steve Cooper. Anyone immediately writing off Forest’s chances of reaching Wembley for the second time in 12 months hasn’t been paying attention.
Cooper’s side don’t need any additional incentive going into Wednesday night’s first leg at the City Ground. As the Reds head coach was keen to stress in his pre-match press conference, being in a semi-final of a cup is enough to get the adrenaline pumping in itself.
But if his players want a little extra edge, there’s plenty of cause for motivation out there. The talk of United having a “great chance” to end their trophy drought, for instance; of the assumption that while Forest have the potential to get a decent result Trentside, it’s unlikely to be enough.
Ten Hag himself knows that’s why he was brought in. "It's about that, it's about winning trophies. We have a good opportunity, but we have to go from game to game,” he told the media ahead of the midweek clash.
Cooper was asked, too, about the pressure on his opposite number to deliver silverware, potentially United's first since 2017 and their worst trophy drought in 40 years. “I don’t think about them too much, or any opponent and what the pressures may or may not be. I only think about us,” he said.
“It’s the same for me and the staff as it is for the players, how often do semi-finals come around? Treat it like it’s the last one you’re going to be in.
“We’re feeling a good pressure of wanting to do well. I just want to make sure we go into the games with a really positive mindset. I want the players to believe they can succeed. Hopefully we can pick the right plan and team to do that. And then whatever happens over the two legs, we can look back at it and go, ‘Yeah, we don’t have any regrets’.”
The Reds may well fall short. That’s sport. But it won’t be for the want of trying. They merit greater credit than simply being written off.
Even since their 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford last month, they have continued to make progress. And at home, particularly, they can be a match for anybody - get a decent result on Wednesday, and who knows?
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