Having lost six of their last seven Premier League matches — and failing to score in the last four — Nottingham Forest could hardly have asked for a tougher assignment than hosting an in-form Manchester United side at the City Ground on Saturday afternoon.

United, under Ruben Amorim, have rediscovered their rhythm with impressive victories over Sunderland, Liverpool and Brighton, breathing new energy into the squad and their season. Another positive result this weekend would only strengthen the growing optimism around Amorim’s reign.

United’s Hot Streak Continues

Since matchday three, only league leaders Arsenal have collected more points than United’s 15 from seven games (five wins, two defeats). During that run, the Red Devils have also scored 14 goals — the most of any Premier League side in that period.

A key figure in their resurgence has been Bryan Mbeumo, who has either scored or assisted in each of his last three league outings, producing three goals and one assist.

The Cameroonian forward now trails only Mohamed Salah (22 goal involvements) and Erling Haaland (22) for total contributions in 2025, with his tally standing at 14 goals and six assists.

Forest, meanwhile, must rediscover the spirit shown in Sean Dyche’s debut match — a strong performance against Porto — rather than the subdued display that saw them lose 2-0 to Bournemouth days later.

Forest in Trouble and Short on Confidence

While United are surging, Forest remain stuck in the relegation zone, kept off the bottom only by the poor form of Wolves and West Ham. If Fulham and Burnley both win this weekend and Forest fail to do so, Dyche’s men could find themselves six points from safety — a worrying gap, even this early.

Adjusting to Dyche’s direct, long-ball style will take time after the team’s previous possession-based approach. Against Bournemouth, goalkeeper Matz Sels made 25 long passes, the most by any Forest player this season, while 16.9% of their overall passes were long balls — nearly double the highest under Ange Postecoglou (8.5%).

Owner Evangelos Marinakis may have hoped for an instant turnaround, but patience will likely be required.

Dyche’s Goalscoring Struggles

Dyche’s recent record does little to inspire confidence: in his last 14 matches as a manager, his sides have failed to score 10 times, and he holds the lowest goals-per-game ratio of any coach with over 150 Premier League matches — 0.97 goals per game (323 goals in 334 matches).

Forest will hope that history offers some encouragement. They have won their last three league games against United, though they haven’t managed four straight victories over them since 1910.

However, United’s record at the City Ground isn’t much better — they’ve lost their last two visits, and haven’t suffered three consecutive away defeats to Forest since 1965–1967.

Across their last six meetings since April 2023, the sides share three wins each, with at least two goals scored in four of those encounters.

Cunha and Mbeumo the Danger Men

Alongside Mbeumo, Amorim will look to Matheus Cunha for inspiration. The Brazilian scored against Brighton — his first goal in 16 games — and continues to be a long-range threat, having netted seven times from outside the box since the start of last season, more than any other Premier League player.

While at Wolves, Cunha also thrived against struggling sides, scoring three and assisting four against teams starting the day in the relegation zone — something that will surely concern Forest.

United lead the league in shots on target (47) and are second for total attempts (135), though their 15% conversion rate ranks only 11th. If their finishing sharpens, Amorim could quickly erase memories of his rocky start.

Forest Must Find Firepower

Despite a respectable 85% pass completion rate — fifth-best in the league — Forest’s struggles in attack persist. Midfielder Elliot Anderson has completed 680 passes, yet striker Chris Wood, with just two goals, remains their top scorer.

Their 7% shot conversion rate is the worst in the Premier League, underlining Dyche’s biggest challenge: turning possession into goals.

With both teams prone to conceding late — the majority of their goals have come in the final 15 minutes — fans could be in for a dramatic finish at the City Ground.