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Having lost six of their last seven Premier League games, the last four without scoring, Nottingham Forest could do without the visit of a resurgent Manchester United side on Saturday afternoon.
Victories over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton have put a spring in Ruben Amorim’s step, and if he’s able to avoid defeat at the City Ground, the narrative surrounding the Portuguese and his Red Devils squad will continue to shift. To put the side’s current run into more context, only leaders Arsenal have picked up more Premier League points than United’s 15 (W5, L2) from matchday three.
With 14 goals during that period, United have also outscored every other team in that time.
Key to their resurgence has been the form of Bryan Mbeumo, who has scored or assisted in each of his last three league games (three goals, one assist). The forward is now only behind Mohamed Salah (15 goals, seven assists) and Erling Haaland (19 goals, three assists) in terms of goal involvements in 2025 in the Premier League, with Mbeumo’s total currently standing at 14 goals and six assists.
Forest will be hoping to put a stop to the visitors’ recent streak, but they’ll need to put on a performance akin to the one against Porto, which was Sean Dyche’s first game in charge, rather than the fare which was served up in the 2-0 Premier League defeat to Bournemouth a few days later.
Though results at this point are unlikely to have a defining effect on either team, the associated confidence that wins can bring is obvious. United look a totally different team to a month ago, whereas Forest are still in the doldrums – and the relegation places.
Only the terrible form of both Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United is keeping the Tricky Trees from propping up the English top-flight.
Should Fulham and Burnley win in their respective fixtures this weekend and Forest don’t, it would mean Dyche’s side would then already be six points from safety. Not insurmountable, of course, but still significant.
It will likely take time for the Forest players to get used to Dyche’s style of play, too. Going from passing out from the back and involving everyone as a move develops up the pitch to lumping it long and hoping for the best is going to take a while to perfect.
Matz Sels’ 25 long passes against Bournemouth were the most by a Forest player this season, which tells its own story, as does the 16.9% stat for long balls more generally in that game (the most under Ange Postecoglou was 8.5%).
If Evangelos Marinakis expected an immediate change in fortunes, he might have to bide his time just a bit longer, however.
