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English Premier League: Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

With excitement building and anticipation growing ahead of kickoff, Premier League betting fans are already diving into the odds and assessing both teams, hoping to find the best value. For a detailed, in-depth look at the match, be sure to check out our full preview. Manchester United welcome Nottingham Forest to the largest football stadium in the country, Old Trafford, on Saturday, 7 December, at 5:30pm. Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest have only been able to beat United once in their past 14 meetings over the last 10 years. However, the visitors are five places above the hosts in the Premier League table, at the time of writing.

Tim Rickson
Tim Rickson

Last Updated: 2024-12-03

Chad Nagel

6 minutes read

Antony of Manchester United in action with Felipe of Nottingham Forest

Antony in action with Felipe//Getty Images

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Manchester United Clear Favourites

  1. Home: 7/10 (1.70) – 58,8%

  2. Draw: 3/1 (4.00) – 25%

  3. Away: 37/10 (4.7) – 21,3%

  4. *Odds courtesy of Betway, subject to change

Head-to-Head Record

Last Five Meetings

  1. 28/02/24: Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester United

  2. 30/12/23: Nottingham Forest 2-1 Manchester United

  3. 26/08/23: Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest 

  4. 16/04/23: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester United

  5. 01/02/23: Manchester United 2-0 Nottingham Forest

Manchester United: Current Form – WDWWDW

The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last six matches and have scored in all of those games, chalking up an impressive total of 15 goals.

Their style of football has always been high-pressing and dynamic attacking, but under new manager, Ruben Amorim, we should see a change to a more possession-driven, short passing style.

Amorim has been highly sought after ever since he guided Sporting Lisbon to two league titles in four years.

Key Players To Watch

  • Alejandro Garnacho – Argentinian international Alejandro Garnacho joined the Manchester United youth setup in 2020 when he was just 16. Now only 20, the winger is an energetic forward, known for his speed, dribbling and creativity.
  • Kobbie Mainoo – The 19-year-old is considered as one of best young players in the world after playing 10 matches for England. The midfielder can drive the ball forward and navigate through tight spaces, likened to three-time Champions League winner, Clarence Seedorf.
  • Bruno Fernandes – Club captain Bruno Fernandes is widely regarded as on of the best midfielders in the world, known for his vision, passing and creativity. He has accumulated 76 caps for Portugal having been in the team since 2017.

Manchester United Team News

Lisandro Martinez is available to play after missing Ruben Amorim’s first game in charge to Ipswich with a back injury. Harry Maguire is reportedly also available, having been sidelined since October.

It’s been reported that Amorim has separated the team in training – defence, midfield, attack – in a drastic attempt to implement his style of play as quickly as possible, enabling players to rapidly get to grips with his tactical vision.

Manchester United’s original name was Newton Heath LYR FC when they were founded in 1878. The name was changed to Manchester United in 1902 to represent the Greater Manchester area.

Nottingham Forest: Current Form – LLWWWD

Nottingham Forest took a 3-0 beating from Arsenal in their last match of November. Prior to that, they also let in three goals against Newcastle at home, so their most recent form has been a little worrying. However, their two games before those defeats saw them net three goals against West Ham and Leicester to pick up six points.

But let’s not forget their surprising 1-0 win over Liverpool in September, showing that the newly promoted side can mix it with the best of them. And striker Chris Wood is currently in the form of his career, becoming the first Forest player to win the Player of the Month award in October.

Key Players To Watch

  • Morgan Gibbs-White – Attacking midfielder Gibbs-White has bagged 11 goals for his club since joining in 2022. The England international was Nottingham Forest’s Player of the Season 2022-23.
  • Nikola Milenkovic – The Serbian centre-back has been solid as a rock for The Reds since joining this season. The experienced 27-year-old has been capped 62 times for Serbia and has even popped up with three goals for his country.
  • Alex Moreno – On loan from Aston Villa, Moreno is left-sided player able to play at the back or forward. The 31-year-old Spaniard has won the Copa del Rey in 2021-22.

Nottingham Forest Team News

The Reds are targeting Corinthians front man Alberto in the January transfer window, it’s been reported. The 23-year-old Brazilian has called a transfer to the Premiership “a dream move”.

Midfielder Danilo has resumed training after breaking his ankle earlier in the year. 

Full-back Ola Aina is negotiating a new deal with talks progressing positively.

Founded in 1865, Nottingham Forest is one of the oldest clubs in England (eighth oldest), and during the First World War, the City Ground was transformed into a training ground for soldiers.

Predicted Line-Ups

  1. Manchester United: 3-4-3: Onana; Mazraoui, de Ligt, Evans; Diallo, Casemiro, Eriksen, Dalot; Fernandes, Garnacho, Rashford

  2. Nottingham Forest: 4-2-3-1: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Dominguez; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Silva; Wood

Suggested Bets

If you love betting on football, here are some bets you can place at some of the betting platforms.

  1. Match Winner and Both Teams to Score: With the favourites, Manchester United, hitting good form and Nottingham Forest’s Chris Woods firing on all cylinders, there’s a strong chance we could see goals at both ends of the pitch. (23/10 with Betway)

  2. Correct Score 2-1: Manchester United have a history of triumphing over Nottingham Forest but have recently only edged them by one goal. (7/1 with Betway) 

  3. Over 3.5 Goals: With Manchester United averaging over 2.5 goals per game, at the time of writing, and Forest possessing the potential to score too, then this looks like a good option for betting. (9/5 with Betway)

Value Bets

  1. Alejandro Garnacho – Anytime Goalscorer: As United’s current top scorer, with three goals, Garnacho to score anytime in the match is worth a punt. (2/1 with 1Win)

  2. Marcus Rashford – Anytime Goalscorer: As one of the best strikers in the league, Rashford can score anywhere and at any time. (11/5 with 1Win)

  3. First Team to Score – Manchester United: As the home team with a significantly better record and form, Manchester United are likelier to take the lead. (53/100 with Betway) (9/20 with 1Win)

Prediction: Manchester United to Win

Manchester United at home are a formidable force to be reckoned with. With a new manager at the helm, the players will be looking to impress to cement their status in the squad.

In history, United have triumphed over Forest 54 times and have only lost three times to them in the past 20 matches.

The Red Devils may have slipped off the top spots in recent seasons, but they are still a giant club that should be able to handle the visitors. 

In eight of their last 13 meetings, United have kept a clean sheet against Forest, and are currently boasting a 2.5 goal-a-game average, at the time of writing, so a 2-0 win could be very possible, but only if they have adapted to their new management’s style of play.

Tim Rickson
Tim RicksonSports Writer

Tim has over 27 years experience within the sports industry, working for football clubs Arsenal FC and Millwall FC, and boxing news websites British Boxing News, Boxing Social and Global Boxing News. His boxing articles have been published in Boxing News Magazine, national newspapers, plus many other major news outlets.