Nottingham Forest v Man Utd – Preview, Predictions & Best Bets

Nottingham Forest host Man United at the City Ground on Sunday in a key match at both ends of the table. Steve Cooper’s side are freefalling at the wrong time and are winless in nine league matches but they’re relatively strong at home. United sees this match sandwiched by a Europa League tie vs Sevilla which could prove a distraction.

Nottingham Forest Form

Forest had a nice buffer a few weeks back but they’ve since dropped into the relegation zone. Since beating Leeds 1-0 at home in February, they’ve taken just three points from nine league matches with six defeats. They’ve taken 21 of their 27 total points at home and will take hope from the fact that they’ve beaten Liverpool and drawn with both Chelsea and Man City on their own turf.

After a 3-1 loss at Tottenham, a last-minute penalty brought a 2-1 home loss to Newcastle, their only defeat in their last 11 home fixtures. An 83rd-minute goal conceded against Wolves saw a 1-1 draw before losing 2-1 at Leeds having again held a 1-0 lead. In their last match, they were soundly beaten 2-0 at high-flying Aston Villa.

Nottingham Forest Team News

Steve Cooper has a massive 11 injuries for this match. Chris Wood and Wily Boly are for the season whilst Moussa Niakhate is another major loss. The coach will hope for good news on Renan Lodi and Serge Aurier at the back and Ryan Yates in midfield. Remo Freuler is set to replace Cheikhou Kouyate after the latter went off injured against Villa.

Forward Taiwo Awoniyi is recently back from injury and neither Jesse Lingard nor Emmanuel Dennis played any minutes (both unused subs) last time out, so there are options to change things up despite the injury woes.

Nottingham Forest Motivation

At home, in an evening kickoff, Forest will play with energy and purpose. They’ve taken points off the bigger sides at the City Ground this season already.

They will play to win this match and get in the faces of a Man Utd team who may be thinking about their upcoming fixture.

Man Utd Form

The Red Devils have been up and down of late. After an 11-match unbeaten run was ended by a 7-0 thrashing at Anfield vs Liverpool. United responded by beating Real Betis home and away in the Europa League but a Casemiro red card had an impact on them dropping points in a 0-0 home draw with Southampton.

They were dire in a 2-0 home loss at Newcastle, allowing 3.68 xG and 22 shots (with just six shots of their own, 0.43 xG). A solid home win against Brentford (1-0) followed and they were outstanding in beating Everton 2-0 at home in a match where they missed six of the seven big chances they created. In midweek, they surrendered a 2-0 home lead vs Sevilla as two late own goals saw a 2-2 draw.

Man Utd Team News

Erik Ten Hag has quite a few injuries to weaken his options. Key man Marcus Rashford misses out with an injury and Raphael Varane went off injured on Thursday. Fit-again Anthony Martial should lead the line in Rashford’s absence but he could also be protected ahead of the return leg vs Sevilla.

Harry Maguire is likely to take the spot of Varane, whilst Lisandro Martinez also took a knock in midweek so Victor Lindelof is on standby. Luke Shaw is an injury doubt but should be nearing a return. Casemiro returns to league action after a suspension and will start.

Man Utd Motivation

The Red Devils will go all out to win this match with Spurs just three points behind in the top four race. Without doubt, the return fixture against Sevilla on Thursday will prove a distraction to some players.

Ten Hag’s side will need to be up for the fight or they could struggle against a Forest side who rarely lose at home.

Key Stats

Nottm Forest have lost just 1 of their last 11 home PL fixtures

Forest have taken points at home vs Liverpool (3), Man City (1) and Chelsea (1)

Nottingham Forest are winless in nine EPL matches (lost 6, drew 3)

Man Utd have lost 3 of their last 4 away league matches

Man Utd’s last 4 league wins have come with clean sheets

Verdict

This is a real banana skin for Man Utd as Forest are hard to beat at home and are playing with desperation. There are some key injuries for Ten Hag to navigate and there is a big match on the horizon. An upset looks to be on the cards.

Best Bet: Both Teams to Score at 1.71

Value Bet: Nottingham Forest win/draw double chance at 2.20

Goalscorer Tip: Martial anytime goalscorer at 1.95

James O'Connor

James is a football analyst who writes about the tactics of the PSL and English Premier League. He holds the UEFA A coaching licence and has previously worked for several clubs in analysis roles.Twitter: https://twitter.com/footy_analysis