Manchester United return to Premier League action this week as they travel away to Nottingham Forest for a Tuesday night kick-off.
Manchester United resume their Premier League campaign against Nottingham Forest following the international break, with Ruben Amorim’s side looking to build on their recent momentum.
Before the break, the Reds produced impressive performances and results against Arsenal and Leicester City in the Premier League as well as Real Sociedad in the Europa League.
However, Nuno Espírito Santo’s men will pose a significant challenge, currently sitting third in the table and riding high on confidence after booking their spot in the FA Cup semi-finals over the weekend.
With a tough run of fixtures ahead, Amorim and his squad will be eager to kick off this crucial period with an against-the-odds victory over Forest.
Sutton makes Forest vs United score prediction
It is always difficult to predict United’s fixtures, especially this season where it is hard to tell what kind of team will show up on the pitch for the Reds. This time around, they seem to have the upper-hand in terms of injury updates.
“Speaking as a Forest fan, it’s especially annoying that he has picked up this injury while on international duty,” Chris Sutton said when discussing Chris Wood’s injury setback, which could keep him out of the clash against United, on BBC Sport.
However, even if the New Zealand international is missing for the Tuesday night game, Sutton believes that Forest will edge a 1-0 victory against the Reds.
The ex-Premier League striker did add that United’s “best hope” of securing anything from the game is whether Bruno Fernandes turns up on the day.
“It will be harder for Forest without him [Wood], but I still think they can repeat their win at Old Trafford in December,” the 52-year-old continued.
“Saturday’s FA Cup win over Brighton was not exactly a thriller, but as we have seen plenty of times from Forest already this season, they are not here to entertain – they are here to get the job done.
“As for Manchester United, it is a big end to the season for their boss Ruben Amorim. Bruno Fernandes has carried them a bit recently in the league, and he is their best hope of getting a positive result here.
“I am not sure either side will be too bothered about having the ball, but Forest fans are happy for them to sit deep and play on the counter, even when they are at home, and they are really good at it.”
United are underdogs heading into Forest clash
United are coming into this game as underdogs and that could be a good thing for them. Amorim’s side may also benefit from Forest playing on the weekend.
However, Sutton did highlight Forest’s ability to excel without the ball and that could end up being significant in a game against a United side without much firepower.
Forest boss Nuno claimed that there is a lot of quality in the United side, but if they can limit Fernandes’ impact, Amorim’s side could struggle to break down a solid defence.
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The Portuguese boss has led the team to some solid displays against some of the best teams in the league so far this season. However, Forest play very differently to a lot of those sides and will provide a different test for the Reds.
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