Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United: Preview, Team News & Predictions
Nottingham Forest and Manchester United – fresh off morale-boosting victories on Boxing Day – square off against each other at the City Ground on Saturday December 30th.
Nuno Espirito Santo earned his first win since returning to the English top-flight, thanks to an astonishingly brilliant hattrick from forward Chris Wood against his former employers Newcastle United.
The Tricky Trees have scored nearly one quarter of their tally of league goals under Nuno. They lost out 2-3 to AFC Bournemouth, albeit rather cruelly as Willy Boly was sent off for virtually nothing, before thrashing the Magpies in a 3-1 win at St. James’ Park.
There’s plenty left to continue building at Nottingham Forest for Nuno, but the team is showing signs of brief progress. It will take something special to beat Manchester United, but that would mean Nuno has marked his return to the Premier League with a telling statement.
Man United themselves are riding on a high, having come from 2-0 down to upstage an upbeat Aston Villa in a game that marked Rasmus Hojlund’s maiden Premier League goal.
They’ll be aiming to improve a mixed away record this season, having won just four games on their travels.
Team News
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest’s stacked squad has a few injury concerns, with Taiwo Awoniyi, Felipe and Serge Aurier ruled out of the contest.
Boly is set to return to the fold after serving his one-match suspension.
Manchester United
In an exclusive with the club media, Lisandro Martinez offered an update on his condition on the back of a foot injury. “I am really good, honestly. My rehab is going amazingly. We need to be patient. It’s going in the way that I want, I feel strong. I love this club, I love this place. I feel so grateful to be here every day,” he affirmed.
His teammates Casemiro, Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia and Victor Lindelof continue their spells on the sidelines, while a rejuvenated performance from Marcus Rashford on the left flank should see him earn another start to close out 2023 on a bright note.
Jadon Sancho, set to leave the club sooner than later, remains out of first-team contention.
Predicted XI
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Turner; Williams, Boly, Murillo, Aina; Mangala, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Manchester United (4-2-3-1): Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Evans, Dalot; Mainoo, McTominay; Garnacho, Fernandes, Rashford; Hojlund
Match Prediction
It’s the unpredictability of Manchester United that could play into Nottingham Forest’s hands, especially on the breakaway.
There should be goals in this game, but it could result in an upset and a dreadful finish to the Red Devils’ worrisome year.
Predicted score: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Manchester United
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Ardfern. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.