Nottingham Forest will hope the City Ground can roar them out of the Premier League relegation zone as they welcome Champions League hopefuls Manchester United.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United: Sunday, 4:30pm
Key stats
- Nottingham Forest have registered one win in their last 13 matches in all competitions.
- Manchester United have beaten Forest 3-0, 3-0 and 2-0 already this season.
- Manchester United have failed to win four of their last five away matches.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United – Verdict
If Nottingham Forest are going to retain their Premier League status then they’ll need the full might of the City Ground behind them, starting with the visit of Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
Steve Cooper’s men have picked up some famous results so far this season, most notably a 1-0 win over Liverpool and holding Man City to a 1-1 draw, but their desperate away form has seen them drop into the bottom three.
Forest have played five of their last nine Premier League games away from home and, predictably, they’ve lost them all. An increasingly tricky fixture list at home has suddenly made points hard to come by.
Manchester United are ticking along nicely in their quest for Champions League football, but Tottenham Hotspur remain hot on their tails with just three points separating the sides.
A 2-0 defeat to Newcastle could have been more damaging had Spurs not been held to a 1-1 draw by Everton, and Erik ten Hag’s men will see Forest as a perfect opportunity to keep the pressure on Newcastle and Spurs.
An injury to Marcus Rashford means Man Utd may have to navigate the month of April without their main man and leading scorer, but the recent return of Anthony Martial does give them options through the middle.
United were cruising against Sevilla on Thursday night as early goals from Marcel Sabitzer gave them a 2-0 lead, but some sloppiness handed the visitors some momentum in the second half.
Lisandro Martinez was carried off with an injury after United had made all of their permitted substitutions and Sevilla were able to fight back to escape with a 2-2 draw.
Nottingham Forest have been the butt of many jokes this season after signing a whopping 30 players since their promotion, but at the rate at which they’re picking up injuries, it’s starting to look like most of them will be needed.
Cooper has had problems figuring out what his best combination of players has been at times, but his job will be made easier here with no less than 11 potential absentees.
Despite the depth, the mounting injuries are a serious concern. Dean Henderson’s absence does seem to have coincided with a dip in form for Nottingham Forest, whilst Chris Wood’s absence leaves them without a target man to relieve pressure.
Cooper’s nine-man bench at Villa Park consisted of five forwards and a goalkeeper, and fresh concerns over the fitness of Moussa Niakhite and Cheikhou Kouyate limit their defensive options.
The Nottingham Forest blueprint has always been to keep things tight at the back and hit teams on the counter, but they’re starting to bend and break, even at home. We could see some square pegs in round holes on Sunday and even without a couple of their key players in Rashford and Martinez, Manchester United should have no trouble beating Nottingham Forest.
