Looking to bounce back from defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, Manchester United return to Old Trafford for a clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Red Devils will be banking on their home record and while Forest have the quality to make things difficult, the hosts should claim the upper hand in front of their fans.
It has not been the best start to the season for Manchester United, who have looked surprisingly off colour in their opening two fixtures. They began with a 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers before falling to a 2-0 defeat at Wolves last time out.
The major problem for Manchester United has been their midfield set up as they are constantly being overrun in the middle of the park. With Mason Mount now ruled out with injury, manager Erik Ten Hag might consider more compact midfield with the inclusion of Scott McTominay.
While the performances have been less than stellar, the victory over Wolves is a continuation of a fine record at Old Trafford. Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 19 Premier League home matches, winning the last seven un that run.
Nottingham Forest have a similar record to Manchester United with three points from a possible six. They began with a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal before picking up a 2-1 victory over newly promoted Sheffield United last time out.
Manager Steve Cooper will be pleased with his team’s start to the campaign as they have looked quite sharp so far. Even in the defeat to Arsenal, Nottingham Forest had the upper hand in the final quarter of the game and will be looking to channel that performance at Old Trafford.
The problem with Nottingham Forest that the results have been poor on their travels since returning to the topflight. They claimed just one away win last season and the defeat at Arsenal suggests this campaign might follow a similar pattern.
How the bookies view it
Manchester United are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 3/10 by bet365. A victory for Nottingham Forest is valued at 9/1 by Ladbrokes while bet365 is also offering odds of 5/1 for a draw.
Recent head-to-head
Manchester United did the double over Nottingham Forest last season with both matches ending 2-0.
Players to watch
Marcus Rashford remains United’s biggest scoring outlet despite firing blanks in the games against Spurs and Wolves. He is priced at evens with bet365 to finally get off the mark on Saturday.
Taiwo Awoniyi continues to establish himself as a dangerous Premier League striker and could be worth keeping an eye in for Nottingham Forest. The Nigerian has found the net in six straight matches and is priced at 13/5 by Coral to maintain his scoring run.
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither side has looked convincing at the back this season so both teams can be tipped to score at 10/11 with bet365. Nottingham Forest have seen over 2.5 goals in both their matches so far and a repeat is priced at 13/25 with Unibet while over 3.5 goals is valued at 13/10 with Unibet.
A straight victory for Manchester United is offered at minimal odds so a win and both teams to score can be considered at 7/4 with BetVictor.
This English Premier League match between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest will be played on Aug 26, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
