BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes today roared 'We can do it!' as Rovers head to Old Trafford knowing they need to score to keep their Carling Cup dreams alive.

Tonight's semi-final second leg is delicately poised at the halfway point after Rovers and Manchester United drew 1-1 in the first leg at Ewood a fortnight ago.

But although United will start the second game as slight favourites to go through to the final, Hughes is hoping his team can follow Wigan's lead and pull off a shock to match the Latics' magnificent achievements at Highbury last night.

"It's going to take a good performance to turn the tie around but we are on the back of an eight-game unbeaten run and we are playing very well at the minute, we are creating chances, we're keeping the opposition down to very few opportunities and goals, so we're in good shape," said an upbeat Hughes.

"We've got to try and get ourselves back into the tie and that means we've got to score at least one goal, so we'll be positive in what we do.

"We've then got to hope that when the opportunities come, which we know they will because we always create chances, we've got to make sure we take them."

United already have the advantage of an away goal, which means Rovers must score at some point this evening if they are to reach the final for the second time in four years.

However, they head to the 'Theatre of Dreams' in the knowledge that they have scored on six of their last seven visits, so Hughes is confident Rovers can get the result they need, providing they keep things tight early on.

"We've got an opportunity to get to a major cup final and that's what we are focusing on," said the Rovers boss.

"From our point of view, we've got to make sure we give ourselves an opportunity to progress to the final.

"That means making sure we are in a position to win it and we don't get ourselves into a situation where, very early in the tie, we are completely out of it."

Rovers, of course, have already famously won at Old Trafford this season, Morten Gamst Pedersen scoring twice in a 2-1 Premiership win there last September.

On top of that, Rovers are also unbeaten in five games against United, a run stretching back to May 2004.

Speaking of that win earlier in the season - Rovers' first at the stadium in the league since 1962 - Hughes said: "Maybe it gives us the belief that we know we can go to a place like Old Trafford and get a positive result.

"We proved that to ourselves and that result really helped us. From that point onwards, we had real belief that we could go away from home and get positive results.

"And we'll need that belief again tonight."

Hughes would love nothing more than to lead Rovers to a major final in his first full season as a Premiership manager.

He has worked miracles at Ewood since succeeding Graeme Souness 16 months ago and a first major cup final appearance would be a fitting reward for one of the brightest young managers in the game, especially if it came at the expense of one of his former clubs.

He added: "I'm not into personal glory. If you try and do your job well then you hope that success will come along, not only for yourself but for the team and everyone else involved.

"It's not about having a trophy on my CV, it's about seeing how far we can go as a club and making sure that we are successful."