Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United: Predicted Line Ups

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Nottingham Forest will look to halt their slide down the Premier League table this afternoon when they welcome Manchester United to the City Ground. Steve Cooper’s side have failed to win any of their last eight league games and they currently sit in the Premier League’s bottom three.

This bleak run of form has led to growing speculation about the future of Cooper and he will be well aware that he needs a win and fast. Forest will have been buoyed by the fact that Everton, Southampton and Leicester City all lost yesterday, however, Bournemouth, Wolves and Crystal Palace are beginning to pull away.

For the away side, today will be all about getting a win by any means possible. Newcastle and Spurs both lost yesterday which means a win at the City Ground for United would put them firmly in the driving seat in the race for the top four.

The match is set to kick off at 16:30 UK time and viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch the match on SkySports Premier League and SkySports Main Event.

Team News: Nottingham Forest

Contents

1 Team News: Nottingham Forest
2 Team News: Manchester United
3 Confirmed Line-Ups
- 3.1 Nottingham Forest
- 3.2 Manchester United

There were a lot of sceptics when Nottingham Forest went on their mammoth spending spree in the summer, however, the club are seeing the benefits of having a large squad with several first-team players sidelined with injuries.

Willy Boly, Cheikhour Kouyate, Chris Wood and Serge Aurier are all players who would start this game under normal circumstances but unfortunately for Steve Cooper, none of them are fit enough to return to face Manchester United.

One bit of positive news for Cooper, however, is the fact that Renan Lodi may be available for selection once again. The Brazilian defender has missed Forest’s last three matches after sustaining an injury in training and will face a late fitness test ahead of this afternoon’s match.

Renan Lodi on Instagram 👀
Back for Manchester United's game? 🤔 #NFFC pic.twitter.com/n87Vff9ASb
— Forest Watch (@ForestWatch_) April 15, 2023

With so many defensive injuries, 33-year-old Felipe will partner captain, Joe Worrall at the heart of the Forest defence if Lodi fails his fitness test. Luckily for the home side, the Manchester United forward line is equally as depleted so they might not be as tested as you would expect.

Dean Henderson is another player who has been sidelined for some time. The goalkeeper, who is on loan from Manchester United, would have been unavailable for selection regardless of injury but he is expected to return in the coming weeks.

Team News: Manchester United

If there is one team in the Premier League suffering from more injury problems than Nottingham Forest then it is Manchester United. Erik Ten Hag offered an update on all of his injured players earlier in the week and while it’s bad news for some, it’s good for others.

Lisandro Martinez has been ruled out for the season with a foot injury, joining Donny van de Beek on the long-term injury list. No timeline has been given for Raphael Varane or Alejandro Garnacho’s returns and there are fears that they could also miss the remainder of the campaign.

🚨 Lisandro Martinez set to miss rest of season with foot injury suffered in Man Utd draw vs Sevilla. Raphael Varane foot injury still being assessed – concerns he may also miss remainder of campaign, although #MUFC hope that isn’t the case @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/4hWufN2vYC
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) April 14, 2023

On a more positive note, Marcus Rashford may be ready to return next week while Ten Hag suggested that Scott Mctominay and Luke Shaw could feature this afternoon. Christian Eriksen could make his first start since coming back from his two-mont injury layoff at the City Ground while United will also welcome Casemiro back into the fold after the Brazilian finished his four-game suspension against Everton last week.

A key decision for Ten Hag to make will be at the top end of the pitch. Anthony Martial is fit again but he has admitted that it would be a “risk” to play him on Sunday with so many important games coming up. Therefore, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if Wout Weghorst got the nod up top.