Man Utd v Nottingham Forest predictions: High-scoring affair on the cards

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Manchester United v Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video, 8pm Tuesday

Best bet

Over 3.5 goals
1pt 9-5 Betfair

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Team news

Manchester United
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are likely to miss out after a late return from the World Cup while Harry Maguire is also a doubt through illness. Diogo Dalot also faces a fitness test but Jadon Sancho is expected to be absent once again.

Nottingham Forest
Dean Henderson cannot face his parent club and will join Cheikhou Kouyate, Moussa Niakhate, Giulian Biancone and Omar Richards on the sidelines. Serge Aurier and Morgan Gibbs-White both face late fitness tests.

Match preview

Plenty has changed since the last time Manchester United and Nottingham Forest faced off in 1999 but one area which may remain the same is the pair putting on a high-scoring affair.

That last head-to-head finished 8-1 to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and while a repeat of that scoreline looks unlikely, these sides have all the attributes to provide another entertaining clash.

Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag has rid himself of the Cristiano Ronaldo distraction and his side returned from the World Cup break with a 2-0 win over Burnley in the EFL Cup, extending a good run of six wins from their last seven games that dates back to late October.

Despite some teething issues with his new squad, the Dutchman seems to be getting results and reshaping this collection of players into his mould more quickly than some expected.

A top-four finish is not out of the question for the red half of Manchester, which would be better than most expected after they finished 13 points off fourth last season.

However an out-and-out number nine is required to take this team to the next level and while they may be busy rectifying that in January, the Red Devils need Anthony Martial to step up in the meantime.

Despite the lack of a standout striker, Manchester United have been involved in some high-scoring clashes recently, with three of their last four games featuring at least three goals and two of those seeing four or more.

They face a Nottingham Forest side who will be looking to improve on a first half of the season in which they struggled, failing to win away from home on their return to the Premier League and going on a run of six losses from seven games at one stage.

However the Tricky Trees had a huge turnover in their squad in the summer and looked more settled in the last few games before the break. They have won four of their last six games in all competitions.

That run includes victories over Liverpool and Tottenham in the EFL Cup and they came back from the break with a bang in that competition as they recorded a 4-1 victory over Blackburn.

That is one of the three games in Forest’s last five to produce at least four goals as Steve Cooper’s side look to be clicking going forward.

Both of these sides will also be without their first choice defensive units, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane out for Manchester United after their World Cup exertions and Dean Henderson unavailable for Nottingham Forest against his parent club.

The pair of makeshift defences could be vulnerable and both teams are fancied to play their part in what should be a high-scoring clash.

Key stat

Three of Nottingham Forest's last five games in all competitions have gone over 3.5 goals

Inside info

Manchester United

Penalty taker Bruno Fernandes/Anthony Martial
Assist ace Christian Eriksen
Set-piece aerial threat Casemiro
Card magnet Scott McTominay