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Manchester United travel to the City Ground on Wednesday night to face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round.
United were beaten in Nottingham to round off 2023; a defeat which encapsulated their woes under Erik ten Hag this term. The Red Devils had enjoyed a resurgence to kick off the new year, but they head into Wednesday’s cup tie having been beaten 2-1 by Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Ten Hag’s side were defeated in last season’s FA Cup final by eventual treble winners Manchester City.
Forest, meanwhile, have embarked on quite the cup journey already having progressed into the fifth round via two replays against lower league opposition. They’ve showed impressive attacking exuberance under Nuno Espirito Santo, although the threat of relegation remains serious.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Wednesday night’s FA Cup fifth round tie.
|
Nottingham Forest |
Man Utd |
|---|---|
|
Aston Villa 4-2 Man Utd – 24/02/24 |
Man Utd 1-2 Fulham – 24/02/24 |
|
Nottingham Forest 2-0 West Ham – 17/02/24 |
Luton Town 1-2 Man Utd – 18/02/24 |
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Nottingham Forest 2-3 Newcastle – 10/02/24 |
Aston Villa 1-2 Man Utd – 11/02/24 |
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Nottingham Forest 1-1 (5-3p) Bristol City – 07/02/24 |
Man Utd 3-0 West Ham – 04/02/24 |
|
Bournemouth 1-1 Nottingham Forest – 04/02/24 |
Wolves 3-4 Man Utd – 01/02/24 |
|
Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
BBC iPlayer, BBC One, BBC Sport Web |
|
United States |
ESPN+ |
|
Canada |
Sportsnet Now Plus, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet One |
The significance of this competition for Forest means Nuno is unlikely to make many changes from Saturday’s team – even if they were beaten.
The hosts are still without Chris Wood, while Ola Aina, Ibrahim Sangare, and Willy Boly are all doubts.
Gonzalo Montiel could replace Neco Williams at right-back.
Forest predicted lineup vs Man Utd (4-2-3-1): Sels; Montiel, Niakhate, Murillo, Toffolo; Dominguez, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.
Ten Hag has been further hamstrung by injuries, with Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Rasmus Hojlund the latest the join the treatment table.
Victor Lindelof deputised for Shaw at left-back on Saturday, with Marcus Rashford getting the nod up top. The absences of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrell Malacia means Lindelof will likely continue in the team. Anthony Martial, Mason Mount, and Lisandro Martinez all remain out of action on Wednesday.
The boss has also admitted that both Raphael Varane and Bruno Fernandes are fitness doubts, further adding to his selection dilemma.
Man Utd predicted lineup vs Forest (4-2-3-1): Onana; Dalot, Evans, Kambwala, Lindelof; Casemiro, Mainoo; Antony, McTominay, Garnacho; Rashford.
There’s little predictable about this United side, although the defeat they suffered on Saturday did feel like it was coming given their previous good fortune. Perhaps they’ve gotten it out of their system, who knows?
Forest were successful on their previous head-to-head duel, and the City Ground is never an easy place to visit, especially under the lights. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if this underwhelming United side somehow finds a way to scrape into the quarter-finals.
