- Man Utd face Nottingham Forest
- Chris Sutton predicts result
- Premier League legend reckons Carrick ‘desperate to win’
Chris Sutton believes today’s game between Manchester United and Nottingham Forest is more important for the hosts. The two sides meet at Old Trafford in the penultimate match of their seasons.
United will want to get back to winning ways after a poor performance and a 0-0 draw against Sunderland last time out. With UEFA Champions League qualification secured, Michael Carrick can take risks and potentially experiment with his team.
That said, Carrick gave many players on the outskirts of the first team opportunities at the Stadium of Light. He might be more eager to ensure he oversees a victory at home today to kickstart his reign as permanent head coach.
Chris Sutton predicts Man Utd vs Forest
Forest are safe and therefore have nothing to play for the remainder of the season. That doesn’t mean Vitor Pereira won’t be keen for his troops to clinch an Old Trafford victory.
Sutton believes Carrick will want to maintain high positivity as he prepares to take over permanently. He wrote for BBC Sport:
“This is a proper dead rubber, with Nottingham Forest safe now, and Manchester United guaranteed a Champions League spot. That makes it harder to call but United boss Michael Carrick will still be desperate for a strong end of the season and retain the feel-good factor at Old Trafford.“
He added:
“Nottingham Forest won’t want to let their season just peter out, either, but the pressure is off them now and, because of that, I am backing United here – this game is more important to them than it is to Forest.”
Sutton predicted a 2-0 win for United who drew 2-2 at the City Ground in the reverse fixture back in November. The Reds haven’t beaten the Tricky Trees since a 1-0 win in the FA Cup in February 2024 and suffered back-to-back losses in the league last season.
Man Utd and Forest team news
Carrick will be without two players for today’s encounter with Forest as Benjamin Sesko continues to recover from a shin injury. The Slovenian striker sat out the stalemate against Sunderland last weekend.
Matthijs de Ligt has confirmed that he will miss the rest of the season and the World Cup after undergoing surgery. The Dutch defender has been sidelined since December with a back issue.
Forest manager Pereira has suggested Morgan Gibbs-White will be a doubt due to a facial injury. Dan Ndoye and Ibrahim Sangare have just returned to training, and their status is unclear.
Murillo and Ola Aina will miss the game, meaning the visitors are without several of their main men. One player who is fit and Carrick and the board will be keeping an eye on is summer transfer target Elliot Anderson.
