Manchester United named Bryan Mbeumo in their starting lineup for the visit of Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford, with Diogo Dalot returning at right-back and Joshua Zirkzee dropping out. Forest, meanwhile, went with the 4-4-2 shape that carried them to a 5-0 win at Sunderland earlier in the season.
The teams were announced as United lined up in a 4-2-3-1 with Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez and Shaw; Casemiro and Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes and Cunha; and Mbeumo leading the line. Forest set up with Sels; Williams, Morato, Milenkovic and Netz; Hutchinson, Anderson, Dominguez and Gibbs-White; Wood and Igor Jesus. The match was being played at Old Trafford, where United could mathematically seal third place and had already secured Champions League football for next season.
The selection of Mbeumo was the main change from United's previous attacking options, and Dalot's return came in place of Noussair Mazraoui. Forest's decision to stay with the 4-4-2 underlined how much they trusted the system that had powered their 5-0 victory at Sunderland, even away at a ground where United were chasing a strong finish to the campaign.
The game also carried a heavy off-field backdrop. Michael Carrick was said to be highly unlikely to be announced as United's permanent head coach on the day of the match, even though he was expected to be offered a two-year contract at Old Trafford with an option of a further 12 months. Carrick had taken charge in January as interim head coach and won 10 of his first 15 games, but the permanent decision had not landed by the time United named their side.
There was another layer to the night as well. Tributes to Casemiro were expected before and after the game, including a tifo in the Stretford End as the players walked out for kick-off, with the midfielder also due to give a post-match speech. United's final home game of the season was therefore not only about the result and the chance to clinch third place, but about the club's next step on and off the pitch.
That next step still pointed toward change. Carrick's expected permanent deal had been discussed for weeks, while United's recruitment thinking had also put Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson on a shortlist, with the club valuing him at £80m. For now, though, the focus at Old Trafford was on a line-up that mixed continuity and adjustment, and on a match that could settle United's league position before the season closes out.
