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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 20
Nottingham Forest v Manchester United
City Ground
West Bridgford, England
Saturday, 30 December 2023
Kick-off is at 19h30
Manchester United will be targeting back-to-back wins to close out the year when they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday, December 30 in the late kick-off.
The Red Devils showed their fighting spirit on Boxing Day as they battled back from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Old Trafford to halt a three-game winless run.
Erik ten Hag's side also found themselves in a similar position against Forest on August 26 after conceding twice inside the opening four minutes before coming away 3-2 victors.
United leapfrogged Newcastle (8th) into seventh position and remain two points behind West Ham, who stunned Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on December 28 to close within three points of Tottenham (5th) in sixth place.
Suggested photo: Rasmus Hojlund of Manchester United
The Tricky Trees picked up their first win under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo as they came from behind to defeat Newcastle 3-1 at St James' Park on Boxing Day.
A first victory in eight outings took Forest two points clear of the relegation zone after they climbed above Everton up to 16th spot, although Luton (18th) boosted their survival hopes with a second consecutive win, having triumphed 3-2 over rock-bottom Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
Rasmus Hojlund will be hoping to kick on now after finally breaking his Premier League duck against Villa with the winner. It was clearly am emotional moment for the Norwegian striker, who had gone 14 top-flight games without scoring, although he did manage to find the back of the net five times in the UEFA Champions League.
Suggested photo: Chris Wood of Nottingham Forest
Chris Wood scored only the second hat-trick of his Premier League career against the Magpies. The New Zealand striker started the last two games under Espirito Santo and repaid the manager's faith in him by bagging four goals and notching an assist. He has now netted seven times in 17 appearances for the Tricky Trees and will fancy his chances against United.
Espirito Santo hailed his players for a hard-working performance on Tyneside and has urged them to build on their fourth win of the campaign.
"The credit needs to go to the boys. We haven't been here a long time, but credit to them for their work," he told Forest TV.
"Congratulations to the players and to our supporters. They were amazing again and they help us so much. Let's enjoy this moment, but let's not stop here. We know we have to rest now and there is a quick turnaround."
Ten Hag praised the character and the will of Hojlund, who was beginning to take strain as a result of his long goal drought in the league.
"I have had several talks with him, I pointed out that he scored for Denmark a lot, that he scored in the Champions League, so believe in it and it will come," the Dutchman said.
"Of course, when strikers don't score it is a problem but he has a strong character and is always determined. He has a big personality. And the goal will come."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Forest - 0
Man United - 5
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 20 fixtures:
Saturday, December 30
14h30: Luton Town v Chelsea
17h00: Aston Villa v Burnley
17h00: Crystal Palace v Brentford
17h00: Manchester City v Sheffield United
17h00: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
19h30: Nottingham Forest v Manchester United
Sunday, December 31
16h00: Fulham v Arsenal
16h00: Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth
Monday, January 1
22h00: Liverpool v Newcastle United
Tuesday, January 2
21h30: West Ham United v Brighton & Hove Albion
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