Game Week 17 Predictions: United to beat Nottingham Forest

Jesse Lingard will headline this fixture as he returns to Old Trafford for the first time since departing in the summer, will he have the last laugh? (Photo credit: ESPN)

Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest

Old Trafford Stadium

9:00pm

Most Manchester United fans would be gutted to hear of Liverpool’s success with the signing of PSV forward Cody Gakpo who had a great tournament in Qatar after it felt he was headed to Old Trafford.

It’s life after Cristiano Ronaldo now after the superstar’s contract was ripped during the World Cup following the infamous interview with popular broadcaster Piers Morgan and the club must now show who’s bigger on the pitch.

Eric Ten Hag has a job to do, he’s been going about his job quietly and the materials available to him should be enough to do a decent job of qualifying for Europe but in the season of Arsenal and Newcastle, you can’t be too confident.

United labored to a 2-1 before the World Cup break and they’ll hope to take things up from there but can they underrate Nottingham Forest? The new boys continue to struggle and they remain relegation candidates in the books of most analysts but can you underrate them?

Liverpool and Westham are two teams that have been beaten by Steve Cooper’s side and with the latter getting a new contract, it shows the Forest hierarchy trusts him to do the job and he will now have to prove them right or make them regret their brave decision.

Jesse Lingard will return to Old Trafford for the first time since leaving permanently in the summer and he will hope to find some joy in the trip. Whoever is picked upfront between the Nigerian duo of Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis must take their chances when or if they come.

How will United line up? Anthony Martial is the man many would expect upfront and Marcus Rashford will offer him width. There’s no Jadon Sancho yet at Old Trafford and we don’t know for sure when he’ll be back but Ten Hag continues to say he wants to work with him.

Lisandro Martinez won the World Cup with Argentina and he won’t be available until the next game at least but Raphael Varane is back to partner Lindelof or Harry Maguire. Diogo Dalot is having a fine run so, he’s expected to fill in at right-back while the left-back slot is Luke Shaw’s to lose.

United will be expected to win here and that would take them to just within a point of Spurs in fourth; a rare point for the visitors will drag Everton into the relegation zone and replace them outside it with Forest, the incentive is huge and you won’t put anything past anyone at this point.

Verdict: Straight win United