Man Utd predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest - Premier League
Manchester United host Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening in the first competitive meeting between these iconic clubs in the 21st century.
When these sides last met in February 1999, Nottingham Forest had won more European Cups (two) than Manchester United (one). En route to levelling that tally of big-eared trophies, the Red Devils romped to a humiliating 8-1 victory at the City Ground.
This fixture may be the setting for one of the greatest substitute performances in Premier League history - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer came off the bench to score four goals that afternoon - but the starters are the focus for now.
Here's the XI Erik ten Hag may deploy in a bid to emulate the club's past triumphs against the (Not Always So) Tricky Trees.
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Man Utd predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)
GK: David De Gea - Martin Dubravka's vendetta against his own clean sheet in the Carabao Cup has only underlined De Gea's standing as the squad's first-choice goalkeeper.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka - Ten Hag surprisingly admitted that Manchester United "missed him in the first 14 games of the Premier League". If Wan-Bissaka continues to perform with the same verve which defined his display against Burnley, many more may come to agree with United's manager.
CB: Casemiro - In the last decade, Casemiro has started just six matches as a centre-back (per Transfermarkt). If Harry Maguire cannot recover from his illness by Tuesday, that tally may have to climb to seven.
CB: Victor Lindelof - The Iceman lived up to his nickname when he trained with the ice hockey team Manchester Storm in 2018.
LB: Luke Shaw - One of three players who had a one-year extension to their contract triggered after the World Cup.
CM: Scott McTominay - In the space of two years as a teenager, McTominay grew 14 inches, rocketing up to the towering height of 6'4.
CM: Christian Eriksen - The Dane's former national team manager turned to the animal kingdom in an attempt to describe Eriksen's vision. “Flies have eyes that can see all the way around the head," Age Hareide said. "So does Christian Eriksen.”
AM: Bruno Fernandes - According to the man himself, a referee's opinion of Fernandes changes with the score. “Bruno, all the time you are winning, you are such a good guy. But when you are losing or drawing, oh my god, you are a pain in my ass.”
RW: Antony - When Manchester United travelled to Istanbul to face Galatasaray in 1993, they were greeted with a banner which read: "Welcome to Hell." That is hardly a threat to Antony, who grew up in a Sao Paulo favela known as 'Inferninho', Little Hell.
ST: Anthony Martial - In September, Martial lamented his absence from the 2018 World Cup-winning France squad. "I should have been there," he groaned. Martial wasn't included in the 2022 edition which reached the final either.
LW: Marcus Rashford - Across the last two months, Rashford has averaged a goal every 93 minutes for club and country.
