Preamble
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg between Aston Villa and Leicester City. Tonight’s match is a cynicism-free zone. There will be no entitlement, no ennui at the prospect of another trip to Wembley; just two teams and sets of supporters who are desperate to reach a cup final.
Leicester have not done so since beating Tranmere in the final of this competition 20 years ago. It was known as the Worthington Cup back then, so sponsorship has progressed from booze to energy drinks. By the year 2040, they’ll be competing for the Matcha Latte Cup.
The last final Villa reached was the painful FA Cup hammering by Arsenal in 2015. The last time they won a trophy – not counting the
mezzanine
Villa, in particular, will be big underdogs should they reach the final, as they are likely to face the same Manchester City side that plugged them 6-1 the other week. But they’d happily take their chances, because no side in history has won a trophy without first risking their dignity. Besides, beating one of the best teams in Leicester’s history would in itself be a memorable triumph.
Leicester start the match as favourites, despite being held to a 1-1 draw in the home leg. You probably know the revised regulations by now: no away-goals rule, no extra-time. If the teams are level after 90 minutes, it goes straight to penalties. May the best team win, and may their fans celebrate until all hours.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT.
Updated