Manchester United travel to the City Ground on Saturday, where they will face Nottingham Forest. The Red Devils have won the last ten meetings between the two sides, including this season's reverse fixture, which ended 3-2.
Nottm Forest
The Reds have struggled for consistency this season, which puts the side in 16th, just two points above the relegation zone. Forest has had issues at both ends of the field, which has led to this positioning. They concede the joint fourth most per game in the league, an average of 1.79, while only scoring 1.16, the fifth lowest goal per game ratio.
However, a change has recently occurred in the dugout at Forest, with Nuno Espírito Santo replacing Steve Cooper. The Portuguese coach has managed two games so far, with the most recent being an impressive 3-1 away victory against Newcastle. Chris Wood took home the match ball after a convincing performance.
Man Utd
Just like Forest, Man Utd’s form this season can only be described as underwhelming, especially after Erik ten Hag made so much progress last year. The Red Devils are currently in sixth, winning ten and losing eight of their 19 matches thus far, with most of those wins being earned via compact defending rather than attacking quality.
That is displayed by the fact that Andre Onana has the joint most clean sheets in the league, and United only concede 1.32 goals per game on average. However, their biggest problem has been their lack of goals (21), only Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Sheffield United have scored fewer.
Having said that, United ended their run of four goalless matches on Boxing Day as they beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford. The visitors were 2-0 up at the break, but Alejandro Garnacho inspired the comeback, and Rasmus Hojlund netted his first Premier League goal to steal all three points.
Verdict?
Forest have only won two of their nine home matches this campaign, and United have only won four of their away games. Both sides go into the game off a high, and it should be extremely tight.
Both teams will have spells of possession, and based on the fact that confidence is high in attack, we should see both teams score.
The final prediction is Nottm Forest 1-1 Man Utd.
