Man U 90 minutes away from League Cup final

MANCHESTER, England (AP):

Manchester United's place in the League Cup final looks to be assured ahead of the second leg against Nottingham Forest in the semifinals today.

United won 3-0 away in the first leg last week. In their first season under manager Erik ten Hag, the team is looking to end a trophy drought stretching back to 2017. United won the League Cup that year, as well as the Europa League.

United will, however, be without midfielder Christian Eriksen, who could miss most of the remainder of the season because of an ankle injury sustained against Reading in the FA Cup on Saturday. Newcastle have already reached the final. They defeated Southampton 3-1 on aggregate in the other semifinal tie.

FRANCE

In France, Neymar won't travel to Montpellier with his Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) teammates in the French league because of "muscular fatigue." Neymar opened the scoring in PSG's 1-1 draw with Reims at the Parc des Princes on the weekend but missed training yesterday to receive treatment, PSG said. The French champions have won only one of their last four league games, losing two, seeing their lead over second-place Lens cut to three points. Lens host Nice and third-place Marseille travel to Nantes.

SPAIN

In Spain, league leaders Barcelona visit sixth-place Real Betis in a match postponed because of the teams' participation in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia in January. Barcelona defeated Betis in a penalty shootout in the semifinals before eventually winning the final against Real Madrid. Barcelona have won five in a row in all competitions, as well as all of their last five away matches against Betis in the Spanish league. Betis, 16 points behind Barcelona in the league, have won one of their last four games across all tournaments. They are three points behind fourth-place Atletico Madrid in the final Champions League place.