Match preview: United v Forest

Thursday 05 December 2024 11:03

Manchester United return to Old Trafford on Saturday, as we host Nottingham Forest in an evening kick-off.

The Reds lost 2-0 at Arsenal last time out but Ruben Amorim is aiming to maintain a 100 per cent record at the Theatre of Dreams, with Bodo/Glimt and Everton successfully seen off on their visits to face the Portuguese in M16.

It’s a second trip to Manchester in a matter of days for Nuno Espirito Santo and his men, after their 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the encounter…

Premier League classics

Collection

Watch five memorable Old Trafford wins against Nottingham Forest, ahead of their visit on Saturday.

HOW TO WATCH AND FOLLOW

Saturday’s game gets under way at 17:30 GMT and is being shown live on Sky Sports in the UK. .

For those without access to the broadcaster, we will bring you over an hour of exclusive build-up from Old Trafford via our Matchday Live show which begins at 16:25 GMT, before your live radio commentary of the fixture.

Our channels are also the place to be for rolling updates, in-game stats and plenty more during the encounter via our Match Centre, as well as a bitesize edit of the highlights two hours after the contest concludes. Longer versions will be published on Sunday morning

TEAM NEWS

Leny Yoro made his Reds debut at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday and could be in contention for his maiden start for the club.

Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martinez are able to play again, having served one-match bans, but Luke Shaw will miss the game as he has suffered a small injury setback.

Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof have been absent in recent weeks.

Forest have Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (thigh) missing with long-term injuries, while Andrew Omobamidele hasn’t featured since August with a problem that has kept him out of the Republic of Ireland squad recently.

Captain Ryan Yates was substituted at half-time against Manchester City, but avoided collecting the fifth yellow card that would have ruled him out.

FORM GUIDE

The 2-0 reverse in north London was a setback, but United have lost just one of our last 10 Old Trafford outings, scoring 28 goals in that time.

Chelsea are the only side to escape M16 with a point since the 3-0 loss to Tottenham in late September, with Brentford, Leicester City and Everton all beaten in that time in the league.

Forest do have a notable away scalp to their name already this season, as they are the only side to have defeated league leaders Liverpool so far, with a 1-0 win at Anfield in early September.

Recent losses at Arsenal and City, plus a home loss to Newcastle, has checked their momentum a little, but Forest go into this fixture in a comfortable top-half position, with 22 points – only 10 behind their total from the entire 2023/24 campaign.

Chris Wood is the man to watch – only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland can top his tally of nine goals this season.

RECENT MEETINGS

Casemiro’s last-gasp header was all that separated the sides when they met in February, during an Emirates FA Cup fifth-round tie.

Forest ran out 2-1 winners in the last league head-to-head, played in late December 2023. Marcus Rashford was the scorer for United that day, after Nicolas Dominguez’s opener, but Morgan Gibbs-White struck with eight minutes remaining as the East Midlands outfit prevailed in the fixture for the first time since 1994.

The corresponding Old Trafford meeting, played four months earlier, was a thriller. Forest – then managed by Steve Cooper – raced into a two-goal lead inside four minutes, but a classic United comeback was on the cards, as Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and then Bruno Fernandes provided cheer on a fine summer’s day in M16.

RIVALS WATCH

SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER

Everton v Liverpool (12:30 GMT)
Aston Villa v Southampton
Brentford v Newcastle
Crystal Palace v Manchester City
UNITED v Nottingham Forest (17:30 GMT)

SUNDAY 8 DECEMBER

Fulham v Arsenal (14:00 GMT)
Ipswich v Bournemouth (14:00 GMT)
Leicester v Brighton (14:00 GMT)
Tottenham v Chelsea (16:30 GMT)

MONDAY 9 DECEMBER

West Ham v Wolves (20:00 GMT)

All kick-offs 15:00 GMT unless stated.