Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest: prediction and stats
Premier LeagueRegular Season - 17Kick-off on December 26, 2026 at 03:00 PM (UTC)Old Trafford, Manchester
The Footlab AI model makes Manchester United the favourite at 44%, against 26% for a draw and 30% for Nottingham Forest. The most likely score is 1-1. If Manchester United wins, the most likely score is 2-1.
Footlab AI's cards found the right outcome in 53.6% of the 3,678 matches already evaluated, against 33.3% for random guessing. See the measured accuracy
Probabilities recomputed on Oct 27, 2026. The full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest?
A very open match: only 49 Elo points separate Manchester United (2,264) and Nottingham Forest (2,216).
Computed by the Footlab AI model from our own data only, with no AI analysis.
Probable lineup for Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest
Computed by Footlab AI from our own data only: recent lineups, squads and known absences. It does not take the press or last-minute absences into account.
Manchester United
4-2-3-1- 19B. Mbeumo
- 18Y. Tielemans
- 17Andrey Santos
- 16A. Diallo
- 20C. Baleba
- 7M. Mount
- 5H. Maguire
- 2Diogo Dalot
- 15L. Yoro
- 26A. Heaven
- 1S. Lammens
Nottingham Forest
3-4-2-1- 19L. Delap
- 3N. Williams
- 14D. Ndoye
- 24J. McAtee
- 21X. Schlager
- 27D. Muñoz
- 10M. Gibbs-White
- 5Murillo
- 23Jair
- 2O. Diomande
- 26M. Sels
Computed on October 27, 2026 at 10:32 AM (UTC).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Manchester United have 2 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats; Nottingham Forest have 4, 3 and 8.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25, 2026 | Bournemouth(home) | 0-3 | Premier League |
| Oct 21, 2026 | Como(away) | 1-4 | UEFA Champions League |
| Oct 18, 2026 | Leeds(away) | 1-1 | Premier League |
| Oct 13, 2026 | Atletico Madrid(away) | 0-2 | UEFA Champions League |
| Oct 10, 2026 | Tottenham(home) | 1-1 | Premier League |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 2026 | Ipswich(away) | 1-1 | Premier League |
| Oct 18, 2026 | Arsenal(home) | 0-1 | Premier League |
| Oct 11, 2026 | Crystal Palace(away) | 1-3 | Premier League |
| Sep 19, 2026 | Coventry(home) | 0-1 | Premier League |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Aston Villa(away) | 2-1 | Premier League |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 2 Manchester United wins, 1 draw, 3 Nottingham Forest wins.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2026 | Manchester United 3-2 Nottingham Forest | Premier League |
| Nov 1, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 2-2 Manchester United | Premier League |
| Apr 1, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester United | Premier League |
| Dec 7, 2024 | Manchester United 2-3 Nottingham Forest | Premier League |
| Feb 28, 2024 | Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester United | FA Cup |
| Dec 30, 2023 | Nottingham Forest 2-1 Manchester United | Premier League |
Last archived meeting: Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest on May 17, 2026
How many goals should we expect?
Manchester United score 1.4 and concede 1.9 goals per match over their last 15; Nottingham Forest score 0.9 and concede 1.3. The model gives a 54% probability of over 2.5 goals and 57% for both teams to score.
| Club | Goals scored / match | Goals conceded / match | Clean sheets | Both teams scored | Over 2.5 goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 1.4 | 1.9 | 1 | 10/15 | 7/15 |
| Nottingham Forest | 0.9 | 1.3 | 2 | 7/15 | 6/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Manchester United sit 16th in Premier League (7 points from 8 matches) and Nottingham Forest sit 18th (6 points from 8 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Manchester United | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 7 |
| 18 | Nottingham Forest | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 6 |
A question about Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest?
Ask Footlab AI: lineups, absences, player form, stats, how the match could unfold.
Sign-in required. No odds displayed, no affiliation: the method is published and the accuracy is measured.
How does Footlab AI compute this prediction?
The model combines both teams' Elo ratings (anchored by competition pool), their recent form weighted by opponent strength, home advantage and a Poisson matrix for scorelines. When bookmakers publish odds for the match, their consensus is built into the calculation: that is what proved most accurate on past matches. Its accuracy is measured continuously on the predictions actually published. Methodology and measured accuracy
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the favourite for Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest?
- The Footlab AI model makes Manchester United the favourite at 44%, against 26% for a draw and 30% for Nottingham Forest.
- Where and when is Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest played?
- Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest is played on December 26, 2026 at 03:00 PM (UTC) at Old Trafford, in the Premier League.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab AI model gives a 54% probability of at least three goals in this match.
- How reliable is this prediction?
- Footlab AI's cards found the right outcome (home win, draw or away win) in 53.6% of the matches already evaluated, against 33.3% for random guessing, a level comparable with the bookmakers' favourite. The comparison with bookmakers and the breakdown by competition and Elo gap are published on the accuracy page.