Michael Brown
Former Manchester City midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

It's a much-improved Manchester United tonight. No Cristiano Ronaldo has taken a lot of distraction away from certain things. Now it's about how these players can perform and get results.

Rashford will be a talking point: what's he going to bring now for the remainder of the season?

Can they push into the top four?

• Nottingham Forest have lost four of their five Premier League away games against Manchester United, with the exception being a 2-1 win in December 1994 . That victory accounted for 50% of the total goals United conceded at Old Trafford in the league that season.
• This is United's first game against Forest since an 8-1 win at the City Ground in February 1999.
• Manchester United have scored more goals from fast breaks than any other side in the Premier League this season (five). These goals account for 25% of their total so far this term (5/20), also a league-high.
• Nottingham Forest's Jesse Lingard scored 20 goals in 149 Premier League appearances for Manchester United between 2014 and 2022 – this could be his first ever game against his former side in the competition.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, speaking to Amazon Prime about his team selection: "We had illnesses during the week. Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Scott McTominay. Harry made it, recovered but he is not fit to start. That's why he is on the bench.

"We had to be a little bit creative.

"Yesterday we took the decision but waited overnight for recoveries. Harry is much better than yesterday but other two are not available."

On France defender Raphael Varane playing just eight days after being injured in the World Cup final: "I talked to him yesterday and that's the way Raphael is: he takes responsibility. That's why he has been so successful in his career.

"He told me directly he is ready. It was an intense World Cup, he played many minutes and of course I will take care with him.

"But it is an emergency case and that's why he is playing. He took responsibility."

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper says his club’s transfer spree in the summer does not mean they cannot do business next month.

Forest brought in 22 players following their return to the Premier League – a policy that garnered plenty of scrutiny – and it was a difficult first half of the season as they won only three games.

Mid-table is within striking distance, though, and owner Evangelos Marinakis has hinted more funds will be available in January to strengthen the squad further.

And Cooper said: “Just because we had a busy summer transfer window doesn’t mean we won’t be able to do anything in this window.

“But at the same time, we have got to make decisions which we think are right for the squad going forward for the last stage of the season. That’s what we’ll focus on.

“It won’t be the same volume of players coming in as the summer! The transfer window is going to open soon, and we, like every club, will be looking at what may be possible and what may be right to do."

Erik ten Hag was asked at his news conference what grade he would give himself for the start he has made as United boss, and said: “I’m happy I don’t have to do that – I’ll leave that to others.

“I don’t give myself a grade. I give the best every day that I have, I want to see every day a better version of myself. So, that is what I can promise to everyone here (at) United, and also the fans. I’m confident we’ll get it in the right process and the progress will come.

“You can always do better, and I’ve said before, when you are satisfied it brings you to laziness. I don’t want that. We have to do better and that counts also for the manager.”

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

It has been a long time since Manchester United met Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

February 6, 1999 was the date. Venue, City Ground.

Forest fans won't remember it very fondly. They lost 8-1, with substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring four times.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth

Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil to BBC Sport: "They are a tough team to predict. It's hard to know how they'll line up. It took us a while to get to grips with them.

"We lost Chris Mepham to illness late on so we had to change our 11 having worked on something all week.

"I'm really pleased with what we showed after that [going 2-0 down]. It's a tough place to be. To respond and wrestle our way back into it, we were unlucky not to score.

"We won't be measured on games at Chelsea. You need everything to go for you. The response to being 2-0 down, they showed incredible belief we could get something from the game.

"Positives and things to learn. A huge game coming up in four days."

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag feels Marcus Rashford has it in him to contribute 20 league goals in a campaign.

While Rashford has four to date this season, he has netted nine times for United in all competitions, most recently an excellent solo effort in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup win over Burnley, and also scored three goals for England at the World Cup.

“I said from the start, I think he’s capable of scoring 20 goals in the Premier League,” Ten Hag said of the 25-year-old forward.

“I’m convinced about that. He now has four, but he scored many other goals, he scored three at the World Cup. So, then you have the potential also to score those numbers of goals in the Premier League.”

Bournemouth

Bournemouth manager Gary O'Neil speaking to Amazon Prime: "I think at the start of the game we struggled a bit to get to grips. I thought once we got it right the boys showed what they can do. To respond from 2-0 down at a tough place like this and put Chelsea under pressure was a good effort from everybody. [It's] Just a shame the start got away from us.

"I think we have a clear way we want to play. It has to be adapted today due to the opposition. We lost Chris Mepham to illness so had to change the starting eleven late. It wasn't ideal and probably one of the reasons we struggled to get going. But pleased with how we finished the game."

On if the World Cup break has made it difficult to get the intensity back: "I don't think so, I've seen good intensity from our group. Once we got to grips with it I thought we showed really good intensity. You come to Chelsea and you hope to get something but these aren't the games you'll be measured on."

On what Bournemouth may do in the January transfer window: "As with every club we'll look what we can do. January is coming and as with everybody we'll look at areas that we can improve and hope we can."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

Umbrellas are required at Old Trafford tonight as it is absolutely teeming it down.

The TV companies doing their pre-match build up by the side of the pitch are on message with their pink Premier League umbrellas.

Image source, BBC Sport

Chelsea

Chelsea boss Graham Potter to BBC Sport: "Credit to the players. You're never sure how it'll go with the break we had.

"The first-half performance was good. The attitude was fantastic. The players tried their best.

"It was a deserved win. We had to hold on. Bournemouth made it competitive."

"It's a step forward for us as a team.

"We weren't in the best of moments [before the break]. You have to use breaks as best you can. Evaluate and reassess and get injured players back. We used it as best we could even with players coming back at different times.

On Reece James' injury: "I'm not sure on the state of the injury. Too early to say. You can see his quality. It's a blow for us. Fingers crossed. We'll see how bad it is."

More from Forest boss Steve Cooper on Amazon Prime: "We need to pick up from where we left off. It is difficult here at Old Trafford but we have to believe in what we do.

"We've got to back ourselves and if we don't then we don't give ourselves the best opportunity. It starts and ends with that."

On Forest only picking up two points and scoring one goal on the road this season: "It is something we need to improve on and we don't have elephants in the room. We've talked a lot about that.

"There are lots of things we need to improve but as long as we believe in ourselves and commit to the plan we have a chance."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport at Old Trafford

That is an interesting team selection from Erik ten Hag.

The Manchester United manager has picked three full-backs, a central defender that has only just returned to training after World Cup duty in Qatar and left Harry Maguire on the bench.

With Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez featuring in the World Cup final, Maguire must have thought he would have started tonight's game.

The fact Victor Lindelof is not in the United squad and Maguire still can't get in does not bode well for the remainder of the season.

Lindelof and Scott McTominay have been ruled out of tonight's game through illness.

Maguire missed last week's EFL Cup tie with Burnley through illness as well, which possibly explains his absence from the Manchester United starting line-up.

Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson, on loan from Manchester United, won't be involved tonight as he can't play against his parent club.

But United boss Erik ten Hag said Henderson could still have a future at United.

“When the season is coming to an end, we will take a decision,” Ten Hag said. “That depends on a lot of factors. I think he’s playing really well at Forest.”

United are understood to be in positive talks with long-serving number one David de Gea about a potential new contract.

Tony Pulis
Former Stoke manager on Amazon Prime

When you are perceived to be a top four Premier League club, you need depth. I really do think they bought Aubameyang as cover more than anything else. He has gone from being that good to dropping just over the top of the hill now.

He will come on and score goals. I'm sure he'll add something during the season but he's not the main man anymore.

Image source, .

At the start of the season, I didn't think Nottingham Forest would go down but right now they are bang in trouble.

At least Forest have got some time to save themselves but their away record is appalling - just two points and one goal from seven games - and I don't see them adding to either tally at Old Trafford.

Now old sulky pants - aka Cristiano Ronaldo - has gone, the expectation is that Manchester United will be in a better place and be much better as a team.

That may well be the case, but I wouldn't be surprised if they make hard work of winning this game and need a bit of magic from Marcus Rashford to get over the line.

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Michael Brown
Former Manchester City midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live

It was a fantastic achievement for Forest to get to the Premier League.

Twenty-four players come through the door and sometimes as a manager you can change a team so many times and not necessarily wait to see how they're improving week-in, week-out.

They've showed some improvement but it's going to be tough for them at United.

Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, speaking to Amazon Prime about his team selection at Old Trafford: "Morgan Gibbs-White is going to be out for a little while, it's inconclusive about how long he'll be out for. He was never going to be ready today.

"Wayne Hennessey is in good shape, I hope. He's been a real positive influence and has a wealth of experience."

On returning from the World Cup break: "It's been a mixed bag, I don't think anyone knows what will happen with their teams. It's a bit like returning from Covid, you don't quite know what you're going to get."

On the break being a benefit for his new-look squad to gel: "We hope so. But we were doing better before the break and started ticking the points over in the last couple of games. So some might say it didn't come at the best time.

"But we've really tried to maximise the time and time does build a culture and togetherness."