Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United Preview: Form, Team News & Prediction | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest’s dream Premier League season continues on Tuesday as they take on underachieving Manchester United at the City Ground.

Forest maintained a feel-good factor on Saturday with a nerve-wracking win against Brighton & Hove Albion on penalties to navigate their FA Cup quarter-final tie.

Brimming with confidence after reaching their first semi-finals of a major competition in 34 years, Nuno Espirito Santo’s charges will be out to make history against Man Utd.

Following a goal-glutted 3-2 win at Old Trafford in December’s reverse fixture, Forest can pull off their first league double over the Red Devils in the Premier League era.

Achieving that historic feat would see the Tricky Trees take another huge step towards locking down a top-four berth amid an incredible league campaign.

Eager to stop them in their tracks, Ruben Amorim’s men take this trip in high spirits after dismantling relegation-threatened Leicester City 3-0 on the stroke of the international break.

United’s emphatic performance at the King Power Stadium extended their unbeaten league run to four matches (W2, D2), but a first bottom-half finish in modern history looks inevitable.

With 10th-placed Bournemouth seven points away ahead of the final nine league rounds, Man Utd must view every game as a ‘must-win’ if they’re to claw their way back into the upper half of the table.

Dream set to become a reality

Touted for a season-long fight against the drop before the campaign began, Espirito Santo’s men have upset the apple cart in stunning fashion to emerge as legit top-four candidates.

They’re six points clear of fifth-placed Manchester City, a side they beat 1-0 at this venue in early March, only a fortnight after a club-record 7-0 rout of Brighton.

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur also slumped on this ground, while a 1-0 win against Liverpool at Anfield in mid-September helped solidify Forest’s reputation as ‘giant slayers.’

Man Utd fell victim to the Tricky Trees’ formidable run this season towards the end of 2024, marking Forest’s second consecutive league win in this match-up.

They beat the Erik ten Hag-led United 2-1 last term, ending a dismal three-decade wait for a home win against the record-time English champions.

Glimpses of recovery

It’s been a humiliating Premier League campaign for Man Utd, but they’ve recently shown signs of resurgence as Amorim’s tenure begins to pick up a head of steam.

Though unbeaten in four straight league games for the first time this season, United alternated between winning and drawing in this sequence, confirming their notorious problems with inconsistency.

However, the travelling fans can draw heart from Man Utd’s uptick in away form after a series of underwhelming performances at the tail-end of Ten Hag’s regime.

Except for a narrow 1-0 loss at Tottenham in mid-February, Amorim’s lads have avoided defeat in four of their last five Premier League games on the road (W2, D2).

Both victories in that run saw the Red Devils beat their opposition ‘to nil,’ highlighting the significance of drawing first blood.

Team News

Forest lost in-form striker Chris Wood to a hip injury during the international break.

Other than the New Zealand international, Espirito Santo will have the rest of his squad fit and ready for this clash.

Lisandro Martinez, Amad Diallo, Kobbie Mainoo, Ayden Heaven and Jonny Evans remain unavailable for selection for United.

Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw returned to training on Friday and should be at Amorim’s disposal for this trip.

Prediction

Outperforming the odds has become synonymous with Forest this term, but they head into proceedings as favourites to add to Man Utd’s misery.

Another win against an elite club is not out of reach for the Tricky Trees, especially at the City Ground.