An in-form Manchester United will make the trip to the City Ground on Saturday to face a Nottingham Forest side struggling to claim a semblance of domestic momentum.
Many pin the tribulations of the two-time European Cup winners on the somewhat egregious antics of Evangelos Marinakis, with Sean Dyche tasked with succeeding where Nuno Espirito Santo and Ange Postecoglou could not.
In contrast, Ruben Amorim’s men appear to have finally turned the corner and are gunning for a fourth consecutive Premier League victory, with a spot in the Champions League places also on offer.
But like any fixture in England’s top tier, few things are a foregone conclusion, and, as we have seen on multiple occasions, anything is possible when the Red Army is in town.
Manchester United Team News
To the delight of an adoring audience, Lisandro Martinez has returned to first-team training following a prolonged layoff after a season-ending knee injury.
The Argentinian World Cup winner was an integral part of Amorim’s team during their initial partnership, and will be chomping at the bit to return to grass. However, Saturday will come too soon.
“He [Martinez] wants to go to this one, he is not going to this one, he is going to take time,” Ruben stated during his pre-match press conference.
“He started training with us, but we had to change some things in the exercise for him, so slowly, he is going to get better. He is really good, he is really good, and he gives us that edge in every training session, and that is also really good for us.
“The rest of the guys, we have one more day [of training], I don’t know about Harry Maguire. I think the rest is fit.”
Saturday will mark a year since the former Sporting kingpin swapped Lisbon for Manchester, and it’s fair to say he has endured quite the traumatic period along the way.
Speaking about his time to date, the 40-year-old embraced all with a smile.
“It was a journey, a big journey,” he stated. “It was tough – really tough. Good moments and bad moments, I learned a lot.
“I found out that even in my lower moments, I can stick with the things I believe, and that is a good thing for anyone to understand.”
United and Forest are unquestionably two of the league’s most successful football clubs, with a stellar history dating back to their first meeting on 29 October 1892, a 1-1 draw in Nottingham.
Since then, 114 fixtures have been held, with United reigning supreme in 54 (D24, 36L).
Recent outings have proved more troublesome for the 20-time English champions, though, with three consecutive Premier League defeats leaving an indelible mark, including double disappointment last season.
But Forest are in freefall since the end of August, notching a solitary point and goal during a seven-game spell that has yielded six defeats and 15 conceded.
The travelling contingent will be hopeful that a new-look attacking trio of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo will continue to wreak domestic havoc.
Predicted Manchester United starting XI: (3-4-2-1): Lammens; Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Bruno, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha; Sesko.
How do you feel ahead of our latest Premier League test? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our socials.
(Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images via depositphotos.com)
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