Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United tips and predictions: Ten Hag's men to face tough test against Nuno's Forest
- Thomas Ridley
- 28 December 2023
Manchester United visit a buoyant Nottingham Forest in the Saturday evening kick-off (17:30 GMT).
Ahead of the annual singing of Auld Lang Syne and the popping of party-poppers, the Premier League gives us an intriguing fixture on New Year's Eve Eve, as both Man United and Forest look to make a fresh start and surge up the table as we enter 2024.
Both teams are coming off the back of impressive Boxing Day victories, Erik ten Hag's men came from behind to seal a 3-2 win over third-placed Aston Villa, while new Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo had Chris Wood to thank, as he netted a hat-trick in a 3-1 triumph at Newcastle, which was Nuno's first victory since taking over.
Wood's hat-trick against his old team-mates gave Forest a rare away win and ended a run of seven Premier League games without a victory. They were also very unlucky in the 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth as Willy Boly was handed a contentious red card.
Former Man United player Anthony Elanga impressed in the festive triumph at St James' Park, as he secured two assists and will be determined to replicate Wood and come back to haunt his former club.
For Man United, it looked like their run of four games without a win was extending to five as they were 2-0 down at half-time against high-flying Villa, but Alejandro Garnacho had other ideas, with his brace and a late winner from Rasmus Hojlund earning the Red Devils a valuable three points.
Whether both these performances are a flash in the pan remains to be seen, but one thing that we do know is that Forest have been difficult to beat at the City Ground, with their home record being the main reason behind their survival last season.
On the other hand, Manchester United have been shot-shy on their travels this season, with only eight goals scored in their nine away games this season and they have not scored an away goal since the 3-0 win against Everton in November.
Meanwhile, Forest have turned a corner in front of goal since Nuno's arrival, they have scored more goals in their last two games than they did in their five games prior to the change in management.
Wood has been responsible for four of the five goals and looks in good form, after having a tough start to life at Forest, regularly finding himself behind Taiwo Awoniyi in the pecking order. The New Zealand striker looks like a good bet in the goalscoring market, with Man United lacking the aerial presence of Harry Maguire in defence.
Nottingham Forest have been leaky at the back and their games have produced lots of entertainment this sesason, as there has been 56 goals in their 19 games this season, an average of 2.95 goals a season so there's bound to be goals in this one.
Man United have had an extremely good record against Forest over recent times, with the Red Devils winning their last five encounters with Nuno's men in all competitions and all of them have come in the last year.
Despite this good record, we think that Ten Hag's woes will return on the road and that Forest's 'new manager bounce' will continue.
Team news
Willy Boly returns for Nottingham Forest after he was suspended for the trip to Newcastle, while Ibrahim Sangare faces a one match ban after accumulating five yellow cards.
Taiwo Awoniyi, Serge Aurier and Felipe are all ruled out with injury.
Anthony Martial has missed the last few games with illness and remains a doubt for this game, while there are doubts over the fitness of Sofyan Amrabat and Luke Shaw, who missed the Aston Villa win.
Tyrell Malacia, Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof and Harry maguire are all ruled out with injury
Key stats
- Since they returned to the Premier League in August 2022, 71 percent of Nottingham Forest's points have come at home
- Chris Wood has scored four goals in his last two games
- Manchester United have scored only eight goals away from home this season, only Sheffield United have scored fewer away goals
- Manchester United have beaten Nottingham Forest five times in the last year, three times in the league and twice in the Carabao Cup
