Nottingham Forest Vs Manchester City Prediction: The Citizens Want To Repeat Victory Sometimes

Nottingham Forest will face a big challenge at City Ground against Manchester City in a Premier League follow-up match on Saturday 8 March. Both teams are in tight competition at the top of the standings. Forest is in third place and City is in fourth place.

The Citizens are determined to secure their second win over Nottingham Forest this season, after at the first meeting at the Etihad Stadium they won 3-0 with full dominance.

Last season, Nottingham Forest fought hard to avoid relegation. However, beyond the expectations of many, they are now competing at the top and are even only one game away from the FA Cup semifinals.

Forest's journey in the FA Cup was not easy. They had to go on penalties in two consecutive games to get rid of Exeter City and Ipswich Town in the fourth and fifth rounds. In the last match against Ipswich, they won 5-4 on penalties after a 120-minute draw at City Ground.

However, in the Premier League, their performance declined slightly after an outstanding 7-0 win over Brighton in early February. In the last three league games, they have only won one point, namely a goalless draw against Arsenal, having previously lost to Fulham (2-1) and Newcastle (4-3).

Their position in third place is still safe, but the distance with the teams below is running low. With 11 games remaining, the difference between third and 10th rankings is now only six points, making Forest obliged to return to winning ways.

However, the game against Manchester City is not an easy task. Forest have never won in their last nine meetings against City in the league (D2 L7). The last time they beat City in the league was in December 1997, winning 3-2 at Maine Road.

The Citizens Confident

Manchester City came into this match with high confidence after winning their last two games.

Three days after beating Tottenham 1-0 in the Premier League, The Citizens successfully qualified for the FA Cup quarter-finals after beating Plymouth Argyle 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium. In that match, Kevin De Bruyne performed outstandingly with one goal and two assists for two Nico O'jual goals.

Now, City are shifting their focus back to the Champions League ticket hunt. If they win over Forest, they will make sure they remain in the top three this weekend.

However, there is a negative note to watch out for. In their last seven Premier League games when they started the game in the top four, City have only picked up one point and conceded at least two goals in each game (a total of 19 goals).

Even so, their performance in 2025 is still quite solid. They have collected 16 points (W5 D1 L2) since the beginning of the year, only losing to Liverpool (22 points) and Arsenal (18 points) in points. In addition, City are also the most fertile team in the Premier League this year with 21 goals, level with Liverpool.

Statistically, City have a good record meeting against Forest. They won their last three league meetings with a 7-0 aggregate, and the win in this match will see them record four straight wins against Forest for the first time in Premier League history.

Nottingham Forest only has one absent player, namely Carlos Miguel, who suffered a hamstring injury. Therefore, Matz Sels will remain trusted as the main goalkeeper after becoming a hero on penalties against Ipswich.

On the back, Nikola Milenkovic and Neco Williams are likely to enter to replace Morato and Alex Moreno, to accompany Ola Aina and Murillo in a four-back formation.

For midfield, Elliot Anderson is likely to return to the starting XI and will have a duet with Danilo, Nicolas Dominguez, or Ryan Yates.

Meanwhile, the attacking sector remains filled by Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi on both wings, with Morgan Gibbs-White playing the playmaker behind single striker Chris Wood.

Wood has performed outstanding this season, with a contribution of eight goals and three assists in his last nine Premier League games. He is also the only Forest player to score against Man City since Forest returned to the Premier League in 2022.

In the Manchester City camp, they were hit hard after Nathan Ake had to undergo surgery due to a broken leg, joining Rodri (ACL), Manuel Akanji (abductor), John Stones (paha), and Oscar Bobb (fitness).

Pep Guardiola made 11 changes in the match against Plymouth, and is expected to return to field the core players for this match. Ederson, Abdokodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, and Omar Marmoush are likely to return to the starting XI.

City's key player in this match is Erling Haaland, who has scored 20 goals in the Premier League this season. Of these, 13 goals came as he put City ahead or equalized, making him the most crucial player in the title race this season (with Mohamed Salah).

This match is predicted to be fierce considering Nottingham Forest has become a surprise team this season. However, with the more quality and experience that Manchester City has, they are still favorite to win.

Prediction Of Lineup

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Danilo, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Kovacic, Savinho, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland

Final prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City