Manchester United will return to Old Trafford at 3 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, to host Nottingham Forest who have suffered one defeat and one win so far in the 2023-2024 Premier League campaign.
The Red Devil defeated a tenacious Wolverhampton Wanderers team on the first weekend of the new season with a slender 1-0 victory. Unfortunately for them, they were trounced 2-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in North London last Sunday.
Manager Erik ten Hag will be going into this weekend’s clash with Nottingham Forest worrying about how Man United lost the midfield battle to a rejuvenated Spurs squad in the second half of last weekend’s encounter.
Furthermore, Man United’s road record in the Premier League isn’t exactly fantastic, with just three wins in their previous 11 away matches since the start of 2023.
However, the Red Devils will be glad to be back at Old Trafford, where they haven’t lost in the Premier League since the opening match of the previous season against Brighton.
Another good news is that they have beaten Nottingham Forest in their last 10 meetings by an average score of 36-3, so they will be confident in their ability to defeat their visitors on Saturday.
However, Nottingham Forest seem to be an improved team in recent times. They showed how improved they were against Arsenal on the opening weekend of the season. But despite their resilience, they suffered a 2-1 loss in North London.
Such a bad start didn’t linger in their memory for too long as they bounced back by defeating newly promoted Sheffield United 2-1 at home on Friday.
Last season, Steve Cooper and his group avoided relegation thanks to their strong home performance, where they amassed 30 of their 38 points. However, they had the poorest away record of any Premier League team, winning only once, drawing five times, and losing 13 times in 19 away games.
Forest are going into the game as one of United’s opponents that have not beaten the Red Devils at Old Trafford this century. Their most recent victory over Man United was a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford in 1994.
Manchester United Vs. Nottingham: Team News
The Nottingham Forest defender Felipe is in the “final phases” of his recovery from a knee injury, but he won’t be ready for Saturday game. Also, Giulian Biancone, Wayne Hennessey, and Omar Richards are still out with knee injuries.
In the same vein, Nigerian defender Ola Aina is doubtful because of a groin issue that stopped him from playing against Sheffield United last weekend.
Cooper is anticipated to start both Taiwo Awonyi and Brennan Johnson, who has been linked to a transfer to Tottenham Hotspur this summer. However, the two strikers might not play the entire 90 minutes due to their fitness levels.
As for Manchester United, the club’s new signing Mason Mount, who suffered a hamstring injury in the defeat at Spurs, is anticipated to join Tyrell Malacia (muscle), Tom Heaton (calf), Amad Diallo (knee), and Kobbie Mainoo (ankle) on the sidelines. The former Chelsea midfielder is expected to recover from his hamstring injury after six weeks.
Harry Maguire, who missed the loss against Spurs due to an ankle issue, could return to the matchday squad. Rasmus Hojlund, the club’s new signing who joined the Red Devils from Atalanta BC with a back injury, has trained and might get some minutes on Saturday.
Manchester United Probable lineup:
Onana; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; Fernandes, Casemiro, Eriksen; Antony, Rashford, Sancho
Nottingham Forest probable lineup:
Turner; Boly, Worrall, McKenna; Aurier, Danilo, Yates, Williams; Johnson, Gibbs-White; Awoniyi
Prediction:
Manchester United are expected to beat Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford this weekend as they have a 74 percent chance to do so. The game could end 3-2 in favour of Manchester United.
