We simulated Nottingham Forest vs Manchester United to predict FA Cup fifth round clash

Manchester United's hunt for a trophy continues on Wednesday evening when Erik ten Hag's side take on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup fifth round.

After their unbeaten start to 2024, United fell to a 2-1 defeat against Fulham in their last outing, with a 97th-minute Alex Iwobi goal handing Ten Hag's side their first loss of the year. United will be looking to bounce back to winning ways on Wednesday while also keeping their hopes of a trophy alive in the process.

The two sides have met twice already in the Premier League this season, with United winning at Old Trafford before falling to a 2-1 loss at the City Ground. From the fifth round onwards, there will be no replays in the FA Cup, meaning the tie will be decided by extra-time and penalties if the game is level after 90 minutes.

So, can United book their spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals? Let's take a look.

To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 - but the simulation was run before United announced on Tuesday night new injury worries over Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Bruno Fernandes.

We predict that the hosts could line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Sels; Williams, Niakhate, Omobamide, Toffolo; Dominguez, Danilo; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.

We predict that United could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Onana; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Lindelof; Casemiro, Mainoo, Fernandes; Antony, Rashford, Garnacho.

United dominated possession in the opening stages, but they were sent an early warning when Taiwo Awoniyi rattled the crossbar with Forest's first shot of the game. After the big opportunity for the hosts, they started to grow into the game, but United struck at the perfect time as