Nottingham Forest v Manchester United – Line-ups, stats and preview

Match Preview for Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United

Manchester United go in search of a fourth straight Premier League win when they visit Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Saturday will mark exactly a year since Ruben Amorim’s appointment at Old Trafford and much of that has been extremely disappointing, but the last three games have shown signs the Red Devils might just be on the up again.

Wins over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton has led to some much-needed optimism for the club and they will head to the City Ground in confident mood to extend their winning run.

A victory in the East Midlands could take them as high as second in the table if other results go their way and they come up against a side who are not exactly firing since Sean Dyche’s appointment.

The former Burnley and Everton manager oversaw a 2-0 win over Porto in his first game but a 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth was a reminder of the struggles they have endured this season, with the Reds currently languishing in the bottom three.

There is some extra needle between the two bosses in the build-up to this match, with Dyche having to backtrack on previous comments he made suggesting he would do a better job than the Portuguese at the Theatre of Dreams.

Both bosses have played down the issue, with Amorim accepting the comments were made before Dyche returned to management.

The Forest boss said in his pre-match press conference: “I didn’t question him as a person and I would never do that. Clickbait kills anything.

“I equally said I want managers to be given time and I said he should get half a season to continue what he’s doing. I have maximum respect for all managers. I’m pretty sure his media department will have made that clear to him.”

Team news for Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United

Nottingham Forest’s Ola Aina (hamstring) and Dilane Bakwa (unspecified) remain sidelined with injuries, while Chris Wood (knee) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (groin) will both be assessed ahead of kickoff.

Ruben Amorim hopes to have Harry Maguire available after the defender missed the Brighton win with a minor issue, though Lisandro Martínez remains sidelined with a knee injury.

If Maguire returns, Leny Yoro could drop out, joining Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw in a back three. Amad Diallo and Diogo Dalot are expected to keep their places as wing-backs, with Patrick Dorgu on the bench.

In attack, Matheus Cunha should continue to lead the line alongside Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.

Expected lineups for Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United

Nottingham Forest predicted XI: Sels; Savona, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

Nottingham Forest predicted XI: Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko

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