Can Nottingham give the favourites a leg up?

Nottingham are in a relegation battle in the Premier League. The end of the season is getting closer and closer and the hosts desperately need more points. Manchester United now come to the City Ground with a Europa League game in their bones. Will that have an impact?

The bookmakers’ Nottingham vs Manchester United prediction is clearly in favour of the Red Devils. Manchester United are in better form and have more quality in their squad. In addition, things are not going according to plan for Nottingham at the moment, the team is missing some virtues.

Now Manchester United are not playing delightful champagne football these days either, but it is enough to get through the season reasonably well. Given the omens, our Nottingham vs Manchester United tip is that the visitors will win the game.

Nottingham – Statistics & current form

Nottingham Forest are playing a season like you feared they would. There have been some moments when the class in the team has flashed, but also many disappointments. The owner is still holding on to Steve Cooper, but a heavy defeat to United could see the typical mechanisms of professional football follow. In the 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa, Nottingham admittedly did not look good either.

The team has now failed to win nine times in a row in the league. During this period, Nottingham have also failed to even keep the “0” in defence. Offensively, Forest score too few goals of their own anyway, and if the defence causes problems on top of that, it will be very difficult to stay in the league. The team is in 18th place, but they are level on points with the first place not to be relegated.

The bigger problem than the table, however, is still the form. Recently, there was hardly any reaction after falling behind, and even the team’s fighting spirit is lacking. Recently, too many goals were conceded in the last 15 minutes, with Nottingham conceding 13 goals in the entire season.

Nottingham much better at home

A big problem could also be the extremely large squad. There is no homogeneity, no unity. This is particularly evident on the field in bad phases. Despite the weak form and the underdog role, the home record is a small encouragement. Five of the six wins this season have come at the City Ground, where 19 of the only 24 goals have been scored. Nottingham have the weakest offensive statistics in the league.

With an average of 1.4 points per game, at least at home it looks quite decent. With a good performance against United, Nottingham will at least want to lay the foundation for staying in the league. However, the remaining programme includes opponents such as Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal.

There is little to be said for Nottingham at the moment. Neither in this game nor in the rest of the season. Therefore, before the match Nottingham vs Manchester United, our prediction is that the visitors will win the match.

Last matches played by Nottingham:

Premier League

• 08/04/2023 – Aston Villa 2 – 0 Nottingham Forest
• 05/04/2023 – Leeds 2 – 1 Nottingham Forest
• 01/04/2023 – Nottingham Forest 1 – 1 Wolverhampton
• 18/03/2023 – Nottingham Forest 1 – 2 Newcastle
• 11/03/2023 – Tottenham 3 – 1 Nottingham Forest

Manchester United – Statistics & current form

For Manchester United, a lot in this match will depend on what form they take with them after the European Cup match. In recent weeks, the visitors have shown themselves to be quite susceptible to minor lulls in consistency. Of course, this should not happen now, because the Red Devils are still fighting for the Champions League.

Of course, winning the Europa League would also ensure a place in the top flight, but it would be a little naïve to speculate on that. The away match in Nottingham is a game that suits United relatively well. The visitors have now won nine times in a row against Nottingham. The aim is to extend that streak and end another. In three of the last four away games, coach Erik ten Hag’s team lost.

But the visitors are sure to be the favourites, not least because the squad is broad enough to withstand the stresses and strains of the English week. And that is despite the fact that Marcus Rashford, the dominant offensive player of late, is not available. The visitors will be looking to replace him as a collective team.

Manchester United like the final quarter of an hour

Multiple paths can lead to victory over Nottingham. On the one hand, there are shots from distance, here Forest are unusually passive. The home side conceded 14 goals from outside the penalty area, which is the worst value in the league. In addition, Manchester United score most often in the final quarter of an hour, which is where the hosts concede the most goals.

Manchester United have won five of their last seven competitive games and lost only two of their last 15. All this suggests that the Red Devils have the edge in this match. However, with their opponents’ backs against the wall, it could be more exciting than the omens suggest. That’s why, ahead of the Nottingham vs. Manchester United match, our tip is that both teams will score.

Last matches of Manchester United:

Europa League Final Stage

• 14/04/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 2 Sevilla FC

Premier League

• 08/04/2023 – Manchester United 2 – 0 Everton
• 06/04/2023 – Manchester United 1 – 0 Brentford
• 02/04/2023 – Newcastle 2 – 0 Manchester United

FA Cup

• 19/03/2023 – Manchester United 3 – 1 Fulham

Nottingham – Manchester United Direct comparison / H2H balance

Nottingham Forest have played Manchester United 108 times so far. The team has won 33 of these matches. 24 games ended in a draw, 51 times the Red Devils remained the winner. United have always had the upper hand in recent league encounters. 192:136 is the goal difference in favour of the visitors.

Nottingham – Manchester United tip

Manchester United travel to Nottingham as favourites. For the home side, a tough game and a difficult phase in the rest of the season is on the agenda. Every point can be very important for staying in the league. However, the form does not speak at all for a good result for the home side.

Manchester United, on the other hand, have conceded too much away from home more often recently, but are playing quite solidly overall. Therefore, before the match Nottingham vs. Manchester United our tip is that the visitors do not lose and that less than 3.5 goals are scored.