Manchester United are getting back into action after the March international break with a trip to The City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on Tuesday 1st April 2025.
United are hoping to continue their unbeaten run following 1-1 draws against Arsenal and Real Sociedad and two strong wins against Real Sociedad and Leicester.
These two victories both booked their slot in the next round of the Europa League and took them to 13th in the Premier League as they now look ahead to face 3rd place Nottingham Forest.
A win against Forest could take The Red Devils up another spot in the league table, passing 12th place Crystal Palace, however with The Eagles travelling to face bottom-of the table Southampton, ints unlikely they’ll be leaving without three points.
However, three points for United would bring them only a point shy of Brentford who sit in 11th with 41 points and are travelling to take on sixth place Newcastle United.
For Ruben Amorim and his men, every game is vital now to achieve as high a finish as possible, with European qualification through the league looking significantly unlikely.
Aiding with this, Amorim’s received a huge boost with several of his injured stars now returning to the pitch.
So, who’s likely to take to the field for The Red Devils and who’s still not quite ready.
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Manchester United’s side to face Nottingham Forest
Thankfully, it looks as though most of Ruben Amorim’s routine starting eleven are available for their clash with Nottingham Forest.
Whilst Andre Onana has been questionable to say the least this season, the Cameroon international is still Amorim’s first choice.
Over recent weeks, the Portuguese manager has had to rely on youth keepers Dermot Mee and Ehly Harrison to provide cover on the bench. However, Altay Bayindir could very well be back in the fray to provide cover if needed, with his reason for absence still unknown.
As for defence, Amorim has recently revealed that Ayden Heaven, Jonny Evans and Luke Shaw are still ruled out, however Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro are now thankfully back in action and ready to play.
As such, we’re expecting Maguire to be back in the starting line up alongside Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, whilst Yoro returns to the bench, however is likely to make an appearance.
The wing-backs are fairly predictable with Diogo Dalot on the right, having made the most appearances this season out of all the United squad, with Patrick Dorgu on the left, having joined in the winter transfer window, instantly becoming the first choice left-wing-back.
However, United academy graduate Harry Amass has been proving himself of late, getting his long awaited senior debut against Leicester in United’s last outing, so we’re expecting him on the bench again to provide cover.
In the middle of the pitch, Bruno Fernandes has been dropped into a more central role in three of the last four games, including both wins, and with Manuel Ugarte fit to play, we could see this partnership come to be a solid pivot point for the United squad.
Just ahead of the pair, Alejandro Garnacho has recently reclaimed his starting spot, having made the same amount of appearances as Dalot this season with 45 games played. Alongside him it’s likely that Joshua Zirkzee will be in the attacking support role, with the 23-year-old now routinely playing just of the striker.
As for upfront, first-choice striker Rasmus Hojlund is expected to start, especially now that he’s ended his 21-game goal drought, scoring against Leicester and Portugal.
Rounding off the bench will be veteran midfielders Casemiro and Christian Eriksen who seem to be primarily used for injury cover now and youngster Toby Collyer who is still trying to break into the first squad.
One star that is likely to be missing from the bench is striker Chido Obi. The promising attacker is set to feature in the Under-18s side’s FA Youth Cup clash against Aston Villa as Adam Lawrence’s side tries to book their slot in the final. As such it’s unlikely that the 17-year-old will be playing two high pressure games in two days.
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Manchester United predicted line-up and missing players
Goalkeeper – Andre Onana
Left-wing-back – Patrick Dorgu
Centre-backs – Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui
Right-wing-back – Diogo Dalot
Central Midfield – Manuel Ugarte, Bruno Fernandes
Attacking midfield – Alejandro Garnacho, Joshua Zirkzee
Striker – Rasmus Hojlund
Substitutes – Altay Bayindir, Bendito Mantato, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Harry Amass, James Scanlon, Leny Yoro, Mason Mount, Toby Collyer
Missing through Injury – Amad Diallo, Ayden Heaven, Jonny Evans, Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw
Missing through Suspension – None
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Source: Centred Devils
