Manchester United travels to a struggling Nottingham Forest, which has slipped to 18th place in the table after four consecutive league defeats, on the back of three consecutive competitive wins. While the Red Devils have found stability under Rúben Amorim and are level on points with Manchester City in 6th place after their recent 4-2 win over Brighton, Forest manager Sean Dyche is already fighting for his job as the third coach of the season after a short tenure. With only ten goals scored and a goal difference of minus twelve, Forest face an enormous challenge, especially after their sobering 2-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.
- Venue: City Ground, Nottingham
- Date and time: November 1, 2025, 4:00 p.m.
- Competition: Premier League (Matchday 10)
The starting position clearly favors United: they have scored in five games, played strong first halves, and have a functioning offense around Cunha and Mbeumo. Forest, on the other hand, is struggling with important absences such as Hutchinson and Bakwa, as well as internal chaos due to another change of coach. The odds of around 2.1 for a United win seem fair, while the 3.3 for a Forest home win seem generous given their current form. The main tip is over 2.5 goals, as 80 percent of United’s last five games have exceeded this mark and Forest have conceded at least one goal in four of their last five games. The secondary tip, “both teams to score,” carries more risk, but could well come to pass given Forest’s offensive potential with returnees such as Awoniyi, especially since United has conceded goals in four of its last five games.
Nottingham Form & Record Check
Nottingham Forest are in a real results crisis after nine games with only five points. The only positive result in their last five competitive games was a 2-0 win against Porto in the Europa League, while they have scored only one goal in their last three league games. The causes are complex: in addition to injury concerns surrounding Aina, Hutchinson, Awoniyi, and Zinchenko, there is a lack of tactical continuity following the third coaching change of the season. Dyche has had little time to implement his ideas and must now prioritize restoring defensive stability, possibly through a more compact 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation. Set pieces and quick counterattacks could offer the best scoring opportunities given the current creativity crisis. In the medium term, Forest needs targeted winter reinforcements to improve its offensive quality, and in the short term, without rapid improvements, further pressure at the bottom of the table looms.
Sean Dyche is likely to opt for a 4-4-2 system, with a different goalkeeper starting due to Gunn’s injury. Murillo and Milenković are set to start in defense, with Williams and new signing Savona expected to start on the wings. Sangaré and Luiz are expected to form the central midfield, flanked by Ndoye and Hudson-Odoi on the wings. Zinchenko is out with an injury, while Bakwa will not return until early November at the earliest. Chris Wood is out of the attack, leaving Taiwo Awoniyi and Igor Jesus as the best options. Awoniyi has recently regained importance and could provide important impetus if he is fit. The personnel situation remains complicated, as some players are unavailable due to a lack of Europa League eligibility.
Manchester United form & record check
Manchester United’s form has been impressive: four wins from their last five league games, with their only defeat coming at Brentford (1-3). It is noteworthy that United led at halftime in all five games, but the defense has shown weaknesses after the break, conceding goals in the second half in four of those games. The recent 4-2 win over Brighton highlighted both sides: early goals from Cunha and Casemiro and a generally effective offense, but also defensive vulnerabilities. In terms of personnel, Lisandro Martínez is cautiously returning to training after his cruciate ligament surgery in February, while there are question marks over Harry Maguire and Mason Mount. The Africa Cup of Nations poses a bigger problem, as Amad, Mbeumo, and possibly Mazraoui could be unavailable for parts of December and January. Tactically, Amorim’s changes are having an effect: better build-up play from Lammens, faster transitions and minor adjustments such as changes to corner kicks are slowly allowing the £216 million summer transfers to bear fruit.
Coach Rúben Amorim is expected to stick with the 3-4-2-1 system that has brought three consecutive wins. Lammens is likely to start in goal, whose long goal kicks have become a trademark under Amorim. The back three could consist of Yoro, de Ligt, and Shaw, with Dalot as the right-back option. Casemiro and Fernandes are expected to start in central midfield, with Fernandes captaining the side and directing the attack. New signings Mbeumo and Cunha are likely to start in the attacking midfield positions behind striker Šeško, with Cunha having recently scored in the 4-2 win over Brighton. Mainoo, Mount, and Zirkzee are viable options on the bench to provide fresh impetus.
Nottingham – Manchester United Head-to-head & Statistics
In the last five meetings, Nottingham Forest have won three times and Manchester United twice, with notably no draws. Forest won 1-0 at home at City Ground in April 2025 and won 3-2 away at United in December 2024. The tendency towards second-half goals is striking: in four of the last five games, goals were scored after the break, with United scoring in four consecutive games after the restart and Forest conceding goals in the second half in four consecutive games. In 80 percent of the encounters, both sides scored, with only one game remaining below 2.5 goals and the rest exceeding that mark. This historical data suggests a high-scoring game, even though the current form of both teams could hardly be more different.
