NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS MANCHESTER UNITED

30/12/2023 – 17:00

As 2023 ends, Erik Ten Hag will aim for a positive result, but Nuno Espirito will seek the same!

It was unfortunate Steve Cooper had the axe dropped on him, but Nuno Espirito Santo came in to bring better fortunes to Nottingham. Dominic Solanke’s hat-trick for Bournemouth denied Nuno his first win as Forest boss. However, Nottingham Forest stunned the Premier League after Chris Wood’s hat-trick helped them secure a 3-1 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day. The Premier League has been topsy-turvy with the results it’s spewing out, but Nuno will face a huge test when he entertains an uncertain United outfit on Saturday.

The pressure has been consistently growing on Erik Ten Hag, but the inconsistent performances were not helping his cause by any means. And it looked like it was going to be another pathetic performance, but the Red Devils reminded the football world what they’re capable of with that amazing comeback to defeat Aston Villa and maintain their traditional Boxing Day victory. Now, Ten Hag will need to gather his troops again and end 2023 on a high, with a tricky trip to the City Stadium to face Nottingham.

Nottingham Forest is without Taiwo Awoniyi, Felipe, Serge Aurier due to injuries, and Ibrahim Sangare, suspended due to accumulated yellow cards. Willy Boly returns from suspension, possibly replacing Moussa Niakhate or Ola Aina in defense.

United continues to miss several key players due to injuries, including Mason Mount, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, among others. Anthony Martial, Luke Shaw, and Sofyan Amrabat are doubtful for the upcoming fixture.

Although Man United will be out to prove their Boxing Day success wasn’t just a one-off, Forest’s exceptional performance at St James’ Park demands respect. On top of the home side’s immediate attacking resurgence on the back of Espirito Santo’s appointment, United’s backline has been shambolic outside Old Trafford. The Premier League has been crazy to say the least. One does not know what to expect any more from any club, irrespective of their current form or position.

Former United winger Anthony Elanga is thriving at Forest, directly contributing to nine goals in the PL this term (Goals 4, Assists 5), two of those assists came in the victory over the Magpies. Elanga’s former buddy Alejandro Garnacho scored the Red Devils’ first two against the Villains, with all four of the games he’s netted in this season seeing his side score exactly three times overall. Forest will also look to Wood to find the back of the net on home turf, while Rasmus Hojlund will be hungry to add to his tally since he opened his account.

From a punting perspective, it would be great value to back Forest to win by a single goal margin, while it would be good to add United to another banker in a multiple. There should be goals and if both teams go out to play attacking football, we could see a scoring draw, but United should do enough to clinch a narrow win.