Manchester United welcome Nottingham Forest to Old Trafford for their first post-World Cup Premier League fixture on Tuesday evening.
The Red Devils ended the first half of the season on a high with a last-gasp winner against Fulham at Craven Cottage thanks to a stoppage-time strike from teenager Alejandro Garnacho. On their return to competitive action after the World Cup last week, they defeated Burnley 2-0 in the fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Despite making light work of Burnley, Erik ten Hag is unlikely to take Nottingham Forest lightly and will go all out to resume Man United’s Premier League campaign on a high note.
Harry Maguire missed out on the cup win over Burnley due to illness, whilst Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are both yet to return from World Cup duty, following their heroics in Qatar. On a positive update, Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Maguire has recovered from illness and is back on the training pitch.
Jadon Sancho is not expected to be available for the game against Nottingham Forest, while Diogo Dalot is sidelined with a hamstring problem sustained on World Cup duty with Portugal.
Goalkeeper
David de Gea was an unused substitute in the Carabao Cup win over Burnley with Martin Dubravka in goal, but the Spaniard is expected to return to the Man United lineup against Forest. He will be aiming to start the second half of the season with a shutout.
Defence
With Diogo Dalot injured, Aaron Wan-Bissaka—having performed well and bagged an assist against Burnley last week—is expected to deputise at right-back. He will be hoping to repay Erik ten Hag’s faith, while Luke Shaw should get the nod over Tyrell Malacia at left-back in the Man United lineup.
Harry Maguire recovering from illness should see him walk straight back into the starting XI and partner Victor Lindelof at the heart of Man United’s defence. The duo of Maguire and Lindelof, along with full-backs Shaw and Wan-Bissaka, will need to defend well throughout the game to keep a clean sheet.
Midfield
Casemiro deputised as a makeshift centre-back against Burnley but should be back in his natural defensive midfield role on Tuesday. He will form the double-pivot with Christian Eriksen, who scored the opening goal in the EFL Cup win over Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.
The central midfield duo of Casemiro and Eriksen will hope to dominate possession and help Man United dictate the tempo of play from the first minute at Old Trafford.
Bruno Fernandes is one of the first names on Ten Hag’s team sheet, and the Portuguese’s creativity, guile and link-up play could be vital in piercing the Forest backline.
Attack
Going forward, Marcus Rashford will head into the game full of confidence, having scored a brilliant solo goal against Burnley. He will start wide left in the Man United lineup, while Antony will hope to bring his pace, flair and dribbling skills from the right flank.
Rashford and Antony will flank Anthony Martial, who will be raring to get himself on the scoresheet after enduring a frustrating campaign due to injuries.
The likes of Alejandro Garnacho, Donny Van de Beek, Scott McTominay and Fred could be involved at some point in the second half of the game.
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