Manchester United return to Old Trafford to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday and will be desperate to put on a show for fans after a devastating 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Read on for Last Word on Football’s predictions and the best odds for United’s home game against Steve Cooper’s side.
Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest – Predictions and Best Odds
Ten Hag’s Side Desperate to Improve
Erik Ten Hag’s side have struggled in their first two fixtures. They were lucky to escape their season opener with three points after facing serious pressure from a surprisingly aggressive Wolves side. An incorrect 95th-minute decision by the match officials denied Gary O’Neil’s side a penalty, which PGMOL has since issued an apology for.
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Against Spurs, United suffered a 2-0 defeat. There were positives in the first half as Bruno Fernandes created several good chances and they were the slightly better side in possession. However, a disastrous second half saw Ange Postecoglou’s side dominate proceedings. Tottenham’s midfielders easily bypassed Mason Mount and Casemiro on several occasions, while Alejandro Garnacho and Antony struggled to impact the game.
Victory Against Sheffield United Brings Relief to Steve Cooper’s Side
Last year’s title-challenging Arsenal side dominated Forest in their first game of the Premier League campaign, although Taiwo Awonyoni’s late goal inspired an unsuccessful comeback attempt at the Emirates.
In their next game against relegation rivals Sheffield United, they had more fortune. Cooper’s side had 16 shots to the Blades’ 7 but looked set to share a point from the tie until an 89th-minute winner from Chris Wood helped the Reds to victory.
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Recent Head-to-Head
Since Forest’s return to the top division of English football in 2022-23, they have faced United four times including the two legs of the Semi-final of the EFL Cup. In all four fixtures, Ten Hag’s side were victorious, while their opposition failed to score a single goal.
Man Utd vs Nottingham Forest Prediction
Despite a disappointing start to the season for the Red Devils, they will be expected to win this tie with relative ease, not least because of Forest’s appalling away record.
Since their promotion to the Premier League in August 2022, they have only managed to win 8 points in away games. Their only win away from the City Ground was against Southampton, who were relegated in 20th place last season. A trip to Old Trafford will be very difficult for Cooper’s squad and it will take an inspired performance to steal a shock win.
We predict that United will triumph with at least a two-goal cushion, with Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes the most likely scorers due to their advanced positioning, creativity, and importance to Ten Hag’s side.
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Best Odds for Man Utd vs Forest
United are the clear and unsurprising favourites for this fixture. At the time of writing, they are 4/3 to win, while a Forest victory is rated at 10/1.
Rashford is certain to be important to his side’s tactics on Saturday and he is a strong shout as the game’s first goalscorer at 13/3. However, Bruno Fernandes appears to represent better value at 13/2, especially when we consider that he is the penalty-taker for his side.
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Main image credit: Brent Flanders via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND-2.0.
