Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United (FA Cup): Preview, team news, how to watch

Manchester United are looking to progress into the FA Cup quarter-finals as they travel to face Nottingham Forest in the fifth round of the competition.

Manchester United fell to their first defeat of 2024 as the club suffered a 2-1 loss against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag reportedly now on thin ice at the club.

After losing in the FA Cup final last season, going one step further to win the competition would ease a lot of pressure that has been aimed at the Dutch manager of late.

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United have played every round of the competition so far away from home, defeating Wigan 2-0 before scraping past Newport County in a 4-2 victory.

Here, UtdDistrict previews the tie.

Team news

Manchester United could be without three key players for this clash, after Ten Hag confirmed that Harry Maguire was unavailable and there were doubts over Raphaël Varane and Bruno Fernandes.

On the other hand, United have been boosted by the return of Casemiro after it was initially feared that he may miss the Forest game after being substituted early against Fulham after a clash in the second half.

Mason Mount is set to return to the squad in the next few weeks, while Tyrell Malacia may return to grass training next week.

Lisandro Martínez, Luke Shaw, and Anthony Martial remain long-term absentees.

Our full injury news round-up can be found here.

A double chance for redemption

Not only must Erik ten Hag make up for the recent loss against Fulham, but also for United’s final fixture of 2023.

United’s last game last year saw the club lose 2-1 to Forest at the City Ground, where they play once again on Wednesday evening. It was a fixture that disheartened many United fans as it directly followed a brilliant 3-2 win over Aston Villa.

United’s last two losses have come when Rasmus Højlund has been absent, and with the Danish striker once again ruled out through injury, the players and Ten Hag need to prove that they can win in their own right without Højlund’s goals.

How to watch

The FA Cup clash at the City Ground will be broadcast in the UK on BBC One – it will kick off on Wednesday, 28 February, at 19:45 GMT.

BBC Radio 5 Live and talkSPORT Radio UK will provide radio coverage, but there is no official live stream for the fixture.

In the USA, the tie will be shown on ESPN+, while those in the UAE can watch it on beIN SPORTS CONNECT and Sports HD 3. All other global TV channel information can be found here.

UtdDistrict will cover the entire fixture on X, including the pre-match build-up, match commentary, and post-match reaction for those unable to watch the game.