Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest Prediction and Betting Tips: Relegation Survivors Visit Old Trafford For Penultimate League Game

After finding the net in 23 consecutive Premier League contests, Manchester United failed to score in their goalless draw at Sunderland last weekend, when both Senne Lammens and Robin Roefs performed admirably to keep clean sheets.

However, the Red Devils have all but secured a third-place finish in the Premier League, with Michael Carrick’s exploits seeing him confirmed permanently as manager. 

Heading into their final Old Trafford game of the season, they’ll be eager to put on a good performance in front of their fans.

As for Nottingham Forest, they’ve got nothing but pride left to play for in the final two games. 

They achieved their objective of remaining in the English first division, meaning they can now play their final two fixtures without pressure.

*Odds sourced from SportyBet and are correct at the time of publishing. Always gamble responsibly.

There is plenty to suggest this will be an entertaining afternoon at Old Trafford.

Manchester United’s desire to give Casemiro a proper send-off, combined with Fernandes’s pursuit of the assist record, should drive the hosts forward with purpose and intent.

Forest, though, will not roll over, and their recent record against United, coupled with the form of Gibbs-White and Anderson, means they will cause problems.

Carrick’s home record, however, is the deciding factor here: seven wins from eight at Old Trafford since January is a formidable foundation.

With nothing left to play for in terms of league position, this should be an open, emotionally charged encounter in which United’s superior quality ultimately tells.

No team in the Premier League this season has been involved in more games where both teams have scored than Manchester United. 

That outcome has occurred in 72% of their matches overall, with 67% of their home fixtures finishing the exact same way. It would not be surprising to see a similar scenario this weekend.

Forest went on a brilliant run to ensure they avoided relegation, and they have not struggled to score goals recently. 

Pereira’s players have scored 17 goals across their previous six matches, including three goals away against Chelsea earlier this month. They’ll back themselves to cause problems for the home side.

Both sides have seen plenty of goals in their games in 2025/26, too. United are at 61% for over 2.5 games, while Forest sit at 61% away from home. 

There’s good reason to expect plenty of goals in their penultimate clash of the season.

Bruno Fernandes has come in for plenty of praise for his efforts at United this season, and that recognition is completely justified. 

Be it scoring or assisting, Fernandes has been constantly involved for his side in 2025/26. He has been a crucial player for the Red Devils, and currently has 27 G/A in the Premier League.

No doubt he will be eager to reach 30 before the campaign closes out, so we expect him to get in on the action again in this encounter.

The Portugal international is also pursuing the 20-assist record held by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. He needs one to match it, and two to surpass them. 

That said, we expect him to achieve that milestone. Forest will be fully aware of the attacking threat he provides.

Lammens; Mazraoui, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Mbeumo, Fernandes, Cunha; Zirkzee

Sels; Cunha, Milenkovic, Morato; Williams, Yates, Anderson, Netz; Hutchinson, Jesus, Wood

Casemiro could be set to play his final match at Old Trafford after announcing earlier in the campaign that he would be leaving the club at the end of his contract.

Elsewhere, Benjamin Sesko is likely to have overcome a shin problem to return to the squad, while Manuel Ugarte also missed the trip to Wearside with a minor niggle but should be back for the visit of Forest.

Matthijs de Ligt is back in light training, but Carrick insisted that the Dutchman was still “further behind” than his fellow team-mates on the treatment table.

Forest are without John Victor, Nicolo Savona, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Willy Boly all out for the rest of the campaign.

Murillo could also be in a similar boat after picking up a hamstring injury, and Pereira is unsure whether the Brazilian will return before the season is out.

Ibrahim Sangare, Dan Ndoye, Zach Abbott and Morgan Gibbs-White should all return after their respective issues, with the latter both taking blows to the head.