A few months ago, Sean Dyche claimed on The Overlap that he would “win more games” than Ruben Amorim if he were managing Manchester United. On Saturday at the City Ground, he gets the chance to prove it, face-to-face with the man he challenged.
Dyche has just taken over at Nottingham Forest and is trying to pull them out of the relegation zone. Amorim, on the other hand, has turned United into one of the Premier League’s most dangerous teams. This clash isn’t just Forest vs United; it’s a test of pride, philosophy, and who really walks the talk.
Forest started life under Dyche with a morale-boosting 2-0 win over Porto in the Europa League, but they fell flat last weekend in a 2-0 loss at Bournemouth. That defeat left them stuck in the bottom three, three points from safety.Scoring goals remains their biggest issue. Forest haven’t found the net in their last four league games, and Dyche’s teams have struggled in front of goal too, with just one strike in his last 14 Premier League matches as a manager.
For Amorim, this is about keeping momentum. After a rocky start to life in England, his United side have come alive. Since late August, only Arsenal have collected more Premier League points. United have won five of their last seven league games and scored 14 goals, the most in that period.
Their 4-2 win over Brighton last weekend summed it up: fast, fluid, and fearless. Matheus Cunha scored his first goal for the club, while Bryan Mbeumo bagged a brace to keep United’s resurgence going. Now sitting sixth, the Red Devils could move as high as second if results go their way.
Still, Amorim knows away games are a different beast.
“We won’t have space like at home,” he said before the match. “Every tackle, every second ball will matter. Forest fights for everything, and we need to show control.”
The talk is over. The test begins.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United: Key Stats
📊 Head-to-head: Forest 3 wins, United 11 wins, 1 draw
📊 Forest: Lost 6 of last 7 league games
📊 Forest: No goals in last 4 Premier League matches
📊 United: Won last 3 matches in all competitions
📊 United: Scored 2+ goals in 5 of last 7 matches
Predicted Lineups
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1) 🔴 Sels; Savona, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams; Anderson, Luiz; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Manchester United (3-4-3) ⚪️ Lammens; De Ligt, Maguire, Shaw; Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot; Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko
Players and Matchups to Watch
🔹 Bryan Mbeumo – Electric on the right; two goals last time out.
🔹 Morgan Gibbs-White – Forest’s main creative spark.
🔹 Callum Hudson-Odoi – Could be Forest’s best chance to hit United on the break.
Odds Market on MSport
💵 Draw: 3.90
💵 Manchester United to win: 2.16
💵 Over 2.5 Goals: 1.75
💵 Matheus Cunha Anytime Goalscorer: 3.05
This one has a bit of fire behind it. Dyche’s words lit the spark months ago; now Amorim has the chance to answer on the pitch. Forest will battle hard, but United’s confidence and attacking rhythm should make the difference.
