After more than six weeks, the Premier League is back! Manchester United are back too and they are ready to face their first league opponent since mid-November. Nottingham Forest are coming to Old Trafford in the first match of the festive period for the Devils, and here is everything you need to know about it.
Team News
Man United could have big problems with the team selection in defence. Axel Tuanzebe is injured and will not be able to play, while that might happen to Diogo Dalot as well, considering the issues he has since the World Cup quarterfinals. Then, there is Harry Maguire who is not feeling well, which is an even greater problem considering it is tough to expect Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane to feature just nine days following their World Cup final involvement. Another major doubt for the Forest match is Jadon Sancho, who has not been doing well recently. He is now undergoing a personal fitness programme.
The visitors will definitely be without Dean Henderson, as he is not allowed to play his parent club. Giulian Biancone, Moussa Niakhate, Omar Richards and Cheikhou Kouyate are all unavailable due to various injuries, while Forest will also have to wait and see what will be the case with Serge Aurier and Wayne Hennessey.
Form Guide
Manchester United are in a good situation right now, after their comfortable 2-0 win against Burnley in the League Cup last week. That was the team’s first match after five and a half weeks and it was good to beat the Championship leaders without having to break too much sweat. But now the Premier League is back for the festive period, with the Boxing Day matches restarting the competition. Man United went on the break in November with a late win 2-1 win over Fulham, after their unexpected 3-1 loss to Aston Villa. Talking about form in such a situation is tough, but United should have many players in a good moment, after several members of the squad enjoyed a good World Cup.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest are not in a great situation. They are currently sitting in 18th place, in the relegation zone, with mere 13 points from the opening 15 matches. They did have a good game against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup last week, winning 4-1 away at Ewood Park. Their results before the break were getting better as well – they defeated Liverpool, drew against Brentford and won against Crystal Palace. Only the 5-0 loss to Arsenal did hurt them in the last month of the season before the World Cup break.
Predicted Outcome
Considering everything, it will be tough for Man United to keep a clean sheet with potentially such a ravaged back four. But nevertheless, we have seen against Burnley that even Casemiro can do a great job in the centre-back role when necessary. Erik Ten Hag’s side are favourites and we predict Manchester United will win 2-1, further improving their position in the Premier League standings.
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