EPL Boxing Day: Manchester United vs. Nottingham Forest Preview, Odds, Prediction

Manchester United hosts Nottingham Forest in the Round of 17 of the English Premier League. These two units both won in the Carabao Cup during the previous week, and now hope to extend that winning streak. Of course, the hosts are massive favorites, yet on the other side, Forest hopes to clinch a sensation at Old Trafford. Nottingham is the first under the relegation line, with them sitting one point behind Everton and West Ham. Opposite to them United is fifth, three points behind Tottenham, with a game in hand, which is why this game means so much for Erik Ten Hag’s guys.

Preview

Manchester United (-330) beat Burnley 2-0 in the Carabao Cup, winning after back-to-back losses in friendly events which took place during the World Cup. United was mediocre against Cadiz, 2-4 and Betis, 0-1, and even though they beat the Clarets, the Red Devils weren’t that impressive.

United allowed at least two golden chances to the rivals in the second half, and a few more attempts that weren’t harmless. Oscillations are the biggest flaw of this crew, and despite some attempts from Ten Hag to tighten up the situation, we still see occasional blackouts of his unit.

Though, at home, United is very confident with five consecutive victories across all the competitions, eight in the past ten events, with a draw and a loss. In four of the past five triumphs, they scored two or more goals.

Nottingham Forest (+1000) beat Blackburn on the road in the Carabao Cup, 1-4, presenting maybe the best performance in the recent month. During the World Cup, Forest had four club-friendly games against Stoke, Atromitos, and Olympiacos, losing all of them and winning Valencia 1-2.

The problem for the newcomers from the Championship are the road events. They haven’t won since the campaign started, posting two draws and five failures in seven road trips.

Furthermore, their goal difference is incredibly bad, with only one goal scored and 19 conceded. The only team that has a worse defense on the road is Bournemouth, with 24 goals allowed, nine of them in Liverpool.

Latest News

Martinez and Varane are out due to their recent World Cup finals, and the need to rest. Harry Maguire is questionable, but there are some signs that he might start, while Sancho and Dalot won’t play.

Goalkeeper Hennessey, Aurier and Gibbs-White are questionable, while Henderson, Kouyate, and Niakhate are injured and out.

Head to Head Games

The last meeting between these teams was in 1999. Back then, United won 1-8 on the road, beating the hell out of the former European champions. It is a horrible episode for the Forest, and many fans still remember that humiliation.

Prediction

United is the favorite, though, we would give a bit longer odds due to their problems in the center of the defense. Still, the offensive potential of this crew is much better than their problems in the back line, which is why their win here shouldn’t be questioned. For those who want to boost the odds, our suggestion is to take United covering a 1.5-goal spread, with the odds currently set at -110.

Pick: United -1.5 -110