Football VAVEL

Nottingham Forest vs Wolves: Carabao Cup Preview, Quarter Final, 2023

Nottingham Forest welcome Wolves to The City Ground with a place in the final four of the Carabao Cup on the line.

Nottingham Forest vs Wolves: Carabao Cup Preview, Quarter Final, 2023
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 15: Adama Traore of Wolverhampton Wanderers runs with the ball during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Nottingham Forest at Molineux on October 15, 2022 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
billy-dobson
By Billy Dobson

Steve Cooper's Nottingham Forest side will welcome Julen Lopetegui's Wolves to The City Ground on Wednesday, with both sides aiming to book their spot in the final four of the Carabao Cup.

Forest head into the game on the back of a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Blackpool in the FA Cup, a performance that manager Cooper described as "deflating". 

The Garibaldi return to familiar surroundings this week, with the visit of Wolves their second home game of 2023.

Cooper's men can take pride in their recent home form, avoiding defeat in their last six games in front of The City Ground faithful, a run that includes victories over Liverpool and Tottenham.

A win would see Forest reach the final four of the League Cup for the first time since 1994.

They face a resurgent Wolves side who have not lost in their last four matches on the road, and are hoping to reach their first League Cup semi-final since winning the competition in 1980. 

The Wanderers were held to a 2-2 draw at Anfield on Saturday in a game that was overshadowed by VAR misuse. 

The club have written to PGMOL chief Howard Webb demanding an explanation as to why Toti Gomes' goal was disallowed by the on-field officials, and why VAR failed to intervene.

The Midlands clubs have met once this season as Wolves ran out 1-0 winners in a Premier League clash at Molineux. Ruben Neves' second half penalty was enough to separate the sides.

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  • Team News

Nottingham Forest

Cooper will be without several first team players on Wednesday night. 

Jesse Lingard, Cheikhou Kouyate, Omar Richards, Moussa Niakhate and Giulian Biancone will all miss the important clash.

Welsh fullback Neco Williams picked up a knock in the defeat at Blackpool and will have to be assessed before the visit of Wolves. 

Several first team players will be hoping to return to the side, including Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White

Wolves

Rayan Ait Nouri's good form may be cut short. Wolves' recent Player of the Month winner will be assessed before the trip to Nottingham.

Daniel Podence, Diego Costa and Joao Moutinho all missed the draw with Liverpool and it is yet uncertain whether they are fit enough to make a return.

Boubacar Traore is still sidelined with a groin injury, while Pedro Neto, Sasa Kalajdzic and Chiquinho all remain out with long term injuries.

  • Likely Line-ups

Nottingham Forest

Henderson; Aurier, Worrall, Boly, Lodi; Mangala, Yates, Freuler; Johnson; Gibbs-White, Awoniyi (4-3-1-2)

Wolves

Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; A. Traore, Neves, Nunes, Hwang; Guedes, Cunha (4-4-2)

  • Key Players

Morgan Gibbs-White

Wednesday will be the second time Gibbs-White will have faced his boyhood club, having played the full match in Forest's 1-0 defeat at Molineux in October.

The 22-year-old failed to impress in that game, although has since enjoyed an upturn in form in the East Midlands

The Englishman has two goals and two assists to his name so far, but has looked increasingly more likely to add to those numbers in recent weeks, most notably with a vicious strike against Chelsea.

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After working with the youngster at England Under-17 level, Cooper is finally seeing Gibbs-White show his talent at the top level, and will be hoping to see him run at what can be a shaky Wolves defence.

Matheus Nunes

Nunes has spent most of his time in the Black Country playing out of position, either wide on the right or in the 10.

Since the arrival of Lopetegui, the Portuguese midfielder has been utilised in a much more familiar role, sitting alongside Neves in midfield and having the ability to carry the ball from deep.

It is no coincidence that Nunes all of a sudden looks like the player Wolves have been missing since their promotion to the Premier League.

Heading into a tough game at The City Ground, Wolves may need to rely on Nunes' ability to evade pressure and carry his side up the field. 

  • Match Details

Where is the game being played?

The game will take place at The City Ground, Nottingham.

What time is kick-off?

Kick-off is at 7:45pm on Wednesday 11th January, 2023.

How can I watch?

The game is not on live TV in the United Kingdom. Highlights will be available on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel after the game.