Date confirmed for United v City semi-final

The Reds reached the Carabao Cup semi-finals last season, before bowing out to the eventual winners City over two legs.

This season's semis have been reduced to one leg, due to fixture congestion in this pandemic-affected season, while the final has been moved from its traditional late February slot to a new date of Sunday 25 April 2021, in the hope that fans will be allowed inside Wembley Stadium by then.

After missing out last term, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men will be determined to reach that showpiece occasion and ultimately win the competition for the sixth time in the club's history. An Old Trafford victory over our neighbours would also end City's long-running grip on the Carabao Cup - the Blues have claimed the trophy for the last three seasons, with the last different winners being United back in 2017, when Southampton were defeated 3-2.

The early January showdown with Pep Guardiola's side will be Solskjaer's seventh Manchester derby in a little over two years since he was appointed Reds boss. So far, the Norwegian has won three and lost two, with the only draw coming earlier this month when the sides served up an unusually lacklustre 0-0 draw at the Theatre of Dreams in the Premier League.

City booked their place in the semi-finals by beating Arsenal 4-1 away on Tuesday night, having seen off Burnley 3-0 at Turf Moor in the fourth round and Bournemouth 2-1 at home in their tie before that.

In the other Carabao Cup quarter-finals, Championship club Brentford pulled off a shock 1-0 triumph at home to Newcastle United, but Stoke City couldn't quite spring the same kind of surprise against their visitors Tottenham Hotspur, losing 3-1.