Manchester United and Nottingham Forest will endeavour to bounce back from midweek Premier League defeats when they lock horns at Old Trafford on Saturday evening.
The two teams meet for the first time since February when the Red Devils claimed a narrow 1-0 victory at the City Ground in the FA Cup fifth round, courtesy of a late header from Casemiro.
Match preview
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Man United's seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions came to an end on Wednesday night as they suffered a 2-0 defeat away against Arsenal - the Red Devils' first loss of the Ruben Amorim era.
Amorim's well-drilled side frustrated Arsenal in the first half, but the hosts' set-piece prowess proved decisive as second-half goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba helped the Gunners - described by ex-Man United striker Dimitar Berbatov as the 'new Stoke City' - secure all three points at the Emirates.
With five wins, four draws and now five defeats on the board after 14 games, few can be surprised to see Man United sitting mid-table in the Premier League, occupying 11th spot with seven points separating them from rivals Manchester City in fourth.
The Red Devils will welcome a return to Old Trafford as they have won six and drawn one of their last seven games at the Theatre of Dreams in all competitions, scoring 20 goals and conceding just six in the process, as well as keeping three clean sheets in their last four.
Man United have also won six of their seven Premier League home meetings with Nottingham Forest, while they have scored in all 14 Premier League encounters against the Tricky Trees - their joint-best 100% scoring record against an opponent in the division along with Swansea City.
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Nottingham Forest have been one of the surprise packages in the Premier League this season, but they have recently suffered a dip in form, losing three of their last four matches and conceding nine goals in the process.
The Tricky Trees were unable to follow up their narrow 1-0 win over Ipswich Town last weekend with another three points at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, as they were beaten 3-0 by a confident Man City side who were somewhat fortunate to escape with a clean sheet after gifting the visitors with a number of goalscoring opportunities.
Despite the defeat, head coach Nuno Espirito Santo believes that his team have positives to build on in the coming weeks, as they bid to climb from their current position of seventh in the Premier League table and edge themselves closer to the top four during the festive period.
Forest are now gearing up for their second away match in Manchester in the space of just four days, and although they lost at Man City, they still boast the joint-third best record on the road this term (11 points from seven away games). Their last two such matches have both ended in defeat by a 3-0 scoreline, though.
After beating Man United 2-1 at the City Ground in December last year, Forest are looking to win back-to-back Premier League matches against the Red Devils for the first time since April 1992 under legendary boss Brian Clough.
Team News
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Man United will be without Luke Shaw, who is facing another painful spell on the sidelines after suffering a setback in his recovery from a muscle injury, while Victor Lindelof is also ruled out with a groin problem.
Jonny Evans, who was not in the matchday squad against Arsenal due to an unspecified knock, has also been ruled out, but Amorim is able to welcome back Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo after they both served one-match suspensions in midweek.
Leny Yoro is in contention to make his first competitive start in defence, while Amad Diallo, Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee - the latter two scored two goals each in a 4-0 win over Everton last weekend - will all be hoping to force their way back into the first XI.
As for Nottingham Forest, they are still having to cope without long-term absentees Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (hamstring) who are targeting a return next year.
Nuno will weigh up whether to start with a four-man defence or switch to a back three with wing-backs as he did for the second half against Man City in midweek.
Elliot Anderson will be pushing to start in centre-midfield ahead of either Ryan Yates or Nicolas Dominguez, while ex-Man United winger Anthony Elanga could start in attack with Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and either Callum Hudson-Odoi or Jota Silva.
Manchester United possible starting lineup:
Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Martinez; Diallo, Casemiro, Mainoo, Dalot; Fernandes, Rashford; Zirkzee
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Anderson; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Elanga; Wood
We say: Manchester United 2-0 Nottingham Forest
Both teams will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways following their midweek losses, particularly Man United on home soil as they can ill-afford to fall further behind in the race for the top four.
Forest have the attackers at their disposal to cause Man United problems on the counter-attack, but the Red Devils have impressed on home soil in recent weeks and should find a way to come out on top, potentially keeping a clean sheet in the process.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
