Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest preview, team news, tickets & prediction
Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest on matchday 3 of the 2023/24 Premier League season is set to be another entertaining match.
Fans of both clubs are in for a treat as both sides look to upstage each other from their places on the table.
Coming off the back of one win and one draw each, Erik ten Hag and Steve Cooper will be in their offices plotting, studying and preparing tactics on how to deal with each other. The sharper team at the moment is Forest, however, which could mean a possible upset in the game.
As fans of the Tricky Trees dream of a first Premier League victory over United, ten Hag will be focused on making sure that his team do not repeat the mistakes that led to their 2 – 0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on matchday 2.
He will also be looking to prove Piers Morgan wrong after the British television personality took time out to chide Manchester United for their Cristiano Ronaldo saga from late last year, which saw the Portugal international leave for Saudi Arabia after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
“Last time Spurs scored twice against United, a United player scored a brilliant hat-trick to beat them on his own. But he was deemed ‘the problem’ and left, leaving Erik Ten Hag with nobody else to blame,” Piers Morgan posted to his account on social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter).
The Dutch manager is aware of their shortcomings in the attack department but with the availability of Anthony Martial, he would be hoping to get his attack clicking once again.
Steve Cooper, on the other hand, is hoping that the good momentum his team has gathered can help them at Old Trafford come 26 August.
Speaking about how his side has evolved from last year after the Sheffield United victory, Cooper said: “I’m not sure we win that game last year at times, especially at the start of the season.
“It reminded me a little bit of (the 3-2 home defeats against) Fulham and Bournemouth, so hopefully that is a bit of growth in the mentality of the team.
“I really liked how we stuck to the task, there was only one team who deserved to win tonight.
“We took our foot off the pedal and gave Sheffield United a chance in the game. I am really glad we regrouped and did what we did in the last 30 minutes.”
Manchester United and Nottingham Forest fans will be watching with bated breath as both teams look to consolidate their season and find solid ground they can stand on to achieve their goals.
Match Tickets
Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest tickets are on sale live on the websites of both clubs. They will also be on sale at various ticket reselling websites.
Traffic to ticket reselling websites will be high for Manchester United vs Nottingham forest tickets like it is expected to be for many other Premier League matches. This is because of the waiting list on the official websites and fans who tend to buy tickets they fail to use for reasons best known to them.
Nottingham Forest tickets will be highly sought after by fans and neutrals thanks to the intensity with which Steve Cooper has got his team playing.
After witnessing the trainwreck that was Manchester United’s first two games, many would want to see how Cooper can handle himself against ten Hag’s tactics.
The match will be played at Old Trafford on Saturday 26 August at 3 PM. It will be broadcast on Sky Sports and on all other Premier League broadcast partners across the 212 territories where the league is covered and enjoyed by millions of fans.
Team news
Rasmus Højlund is still absent from injury and the word is that he could be out for longer.
Erik ten Hag’s injury list is growing but he will count himself lucky to not have added to it in the first two matchdays. All his summer signings bar Højlund have made their debuts as well. However, he is still working out the kinks in his side in order to field an XI that can challenge for the Premier League title, which is his main target this season.
Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat could join the side in the coming days to also strengthen a key role that ten Hag is battling with.
Nottingham Forest, like Manchester United, do not have any injury worries from the first two matchdays.
Taiwo Awoniyi is fully fit from his ankle problem and he is ready to lead their attack. But they could lose Welsh talent Brennan Johnson before their Manchester United trip, however. Links to Chelsea and other Premier League clubs have been reported recently.
Cooper, meanwhile, will rest easy because he will have the squad he started with this season available for the trip to Manchester.
Lineups
Anthony Martial returned to the Manchester United squad last time and is in line for his first start of the season. This will see Marcus Rashford go back to his preferred left wing role.
Alejandro Garnacho would be returned to the bench as Jadon Sancho takes his place. The Argentine youngster is promising but his lack of decisiveness in the final third last time around cost Manchester United on a number of occasions.
Brazilian forward Antony will retain his place in the starting lineup despite how unpopular he is with the club’s fans at the moment. Mason Mount remains the club’s biggest headache but given his inclusion in the starting XI for three games in a row, we believe that Mount will get another start against an opponent they are expected to beat.
Manchester United: Onana; Shaw, Varane, Martinez, Wan-Bissaka; Mount, Casemiro; Rashford, Fernandes, Antony; Martial
Nottingham Forest are poised to make history against Manchester United with a squad that is as strong as many mid table teams who have given United trouble in the past.
Taiwo Awoniyi is leading the line alongside Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson, who could also be leaving this summer. In that case, former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga will be getting a run in the team.
The Swedish forward has already shown that he can link with Steve Cooper’s main man Awoniyi, which will give them some assurance.
Cooper will field an XI that is largely unchanged from their first two games of the season because that is his strongest team on paper.
Any signings they may make in this period will be handed a debut at a later time.
Nottingham Forest: Turner; Boly, Worall, McKenna; Aurier, Danilo, Mangala, Aina; Johnson, Awoniyi, Gibbs-White.
Prediction
Manchester United have not started the season well. They have bagged three points out of a possible six thanks to a wasteful Wolverhampton Wanderers and a brilliant Tottenham Hotspur.
Against Nottingham Forest, it is expected that they pick up the pace and strike the fear of the Red Devil into the hearts of their opponents. However, Forest have shown that they are playing for keeps in this season’s Premier League with their two opening games, from which they have also bagged three points from a possible six.
Steve Cooper’s side looks sharper and could give Erik ten Hag and his boys a run for their money. Regardless of this fact, the Wolves scenario is likely going to repeat itself at Old Trafford on 26 August.
Manchester United 1 – 0 Nottingham Forest.
