Man United vs. Nottingham Forest: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Man United might be coming off the back of a loss, but they've still won their last four in a row on home soil and are unbeaten in their last seven at Old Trafford, winning six of those.

Forest, however, have won only one of their last five on the road and have lost both of their last two away games by 3-0 scorelines.

United have kept three clean sheets in their last four home games and Forest have drawn two blanks in a row away from home, so we're backing the home side to win to nil. Manchester United 2-0 Nottingham Forest.

Manchester United are hoping to return to winning ways in the Premier League this weekend as they lock horns with Nottingham Forest.

• Date: 07/12/2024
• Kick-off time: 17:30
• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United currently sit 11th in the Premier League with 19 points from 14 games. The Red Devils are trying to get their season back on track after a terrible start to the Premier League season as they look to mount a top four charge under Ruben Amorim. Since Amorim took charge of the side, there have been mild signs of improvement, but the extent of the job at hand has very much been laid bare, with the performances in the first few games showing very mixed signs.

The positive sign for United fans looking forward is that their excessive injury woes are starting to ease, with most of their squad now fully fit and available. There's still the huge issue of Amorim needing to get the best out of the tools available, which is a big ask, but the addition of summer signing Leny Yoro at the back is of specific interest given the potential of his ceiling-raising ability for a defence that needs vast improvement.

United need to close the gap, which is currently at seven points, on the Champions League places as they look to get back into Europe's premier competition, but with how much Chelsea have improved since last season, it's going to be far tougher for them to break the top four than they might have anticipated coming into this season.

Even during their bad periods, United have largely got the results they need at Old Trafford, so they'll be looking to really consolidate their form on their own patch and that means producing good performances in games of this magnitude.

Nottingham Forest are currently 6th in the Premier League with 22 points from 14 games. It's been an excellent first few months of the campaign for a Forest side that has known nothing but relegation battles since returning to the Premier League. Under Nuno Santo, Forest are well-drilled, well-balanced and play to their strengths, and it's serving them well in a season where they'll be optimistic about the potential of securing European football.

Central to Forest's exploits has been Chris Wood, the striker who is enjoying the season of his life having scored nine goals so far in the league. Also a key figure in this Forest side is centre-back Murillo, who is ever dependable and has his eyes firmly set on a senior Brazil call-up.

The underlying numbers surrounding Forest's season are good, with the side ranking 9th in the league for expected goals and 12th for expected goals against. They'll feel confident about sustaining their form enough to claim a top 10 finish, but if they can win points at placed like Old Trafford, they could well finish even higher.

This game will be televised live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event.

Man United Team News:

The home side are coming into this game with Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelöf all on the sidelines.

Ruben Amorim will be glad to welcome back Kobbie Mainoo and Linsandro Martínez, both of whom missed the trip to the Emirates through suspension, and the pair have a good chance of an immediate recall to the starting lineup.

Predicted lineup: Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Martínez; Diallo, Casemiro, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee.

Nottingham Forest Team News:

Danilo and Ibrahim Sangare will miss out for the visitors once again, with several changes on the cards for Forest.

Callum Hudson-Odoi should come back into the starting XI, while Elliot Anderson will also be hoping for a recall.

Predicted lineup: Sels; Aina, Milenković, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Anderson; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Elanga; Wood.

Manchester United are entering this game in solid form having won three, drawn one and lost one. United suffered their first defeat under Ruben Amorim this week as they fell to a 2-0 loss away at Arsenal. United showed some defensive improvements in the first half, but the gap between the two sides was clear as Arsenal ran out deserved winners.

Before that, braces from both Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee sealed a 4-0 win over Everton, a result that followed a 3-2 win over Bodø/Glimt, with Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund (X2).

Those results came after a 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town and a 3-0 win over Leicester City. where Bruno Fernandes, Garnacho and an owl goal sealed the result.

Nottingham Forest are amidst a mixed run of form having won two and lost three of their last five outings. Forest were in Manchester during the week as they took on Pep Guardiola's City side, but they were firmly outclassed in a 3-0 defeat.

Prior to that, a Chris Wood penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town, which followed a 3-0 loss to Arsenal and a 1-3 defeat against Newcastle United.

Those results were preceded by a 3-0 win over West Ham United, where Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ola Aina all got on the scoresheet.

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