Football Accumulator Tips: Wednesday’s 5/1 Acca backs Man United first leg win

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United – United win

The second semi-final in the Carabao Cup sees Manchester United travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest.

Forest have only lost once in all competitions since their 3-0 defeat to their opponents on Wednesday back in December. Two draws and two wins from their four Premier League games has moved Steve Cooper's side up into 13th. They are only four points away from the relegation zone, so they must be wary of the drop, as the scenario down the bottom can change in only a matter of games.

Manchester United have been on a tremendous run, but have fallen off the rails a bit, drawing to Crystal Palace and losing at the Emirates last weekend. Erik ten Hag will see the Carabao Cup as a huge opportunity to bring home some silverware for the Red Devils, something they have not achieved since 2017.

We think it will be a cagey affair, with Manchester United scraping a slender first leg lead at the City Ground to give them the advantage in their Carabao Cup semi-final.

Mainz vs Borussia Dortmund – Dortmund win

Moving over into Germany now, Borussia Dortmund travel to Mainz in the Bundesliga, with both teams looking to kickstart their seasons. Mainz find themselves five points off the relegation play-off spot, and six points off Hertha in 17th. Despite drawing away to Stuttgart in their first game back from the prolonged break, they are winless in five Bundesliga games.

As for Dortmund, their 4-3 win over Augsburg was a great way to end their poor run prior to the break, where they lost their last two Bundesliga games. Awaiting them is a trip to Mainz before another road trip to play Bayer Leverkusen on the weekend, and they’ll want to pick up maximum points to give them the best chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

With Jude Bellingham suspended, it will be down to the likes of Youssoufa Moukoko and Giovanni Reyna to keep up their winning streak, which we think they will do away to Mainz.

Barcelona vs Real Sociedad – Barcelona win

The final leg of our treble sees untouchable Barcelona face Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey. Barcelona are unbeaten in all competitions since a 3-0 humbling to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, meaning they dropped down into the Europa League.

They beat Real Sociedad 4-1 earlier in the season and will be hoping for a similar result at the Camp Nou.

Sociedad are also on an impressive winning streak, winning nine games in a row in all competitions since early November. They have kept their streak alive since the break returned, winning all their January games so far. A Copa del Rey semi-final could be beckoning for the Basque club, who have failed to make that stage since winning the 2019-20 edition of the cup (where the final was delayed until 2021 due to Covid).

Barcelona have the quality to progress, and we think they’ll do so, but Sociedad won’t make it easy for them by any means.