Man City v Nottingham Forest preview
Manchester City will look to extend their winning run to five Premier League matches when they host Nottingham Forest at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
Pep Guardiola’s side edged past Leeds United 1-0 at the weekend to maintain pressure at the top of the table, while Forest were beaten 2-1 by Brighton.
City once again demonstrated their depth in the absence of Erling Haaland, with Antoine Semenyo stepping up to secure the win at Elland Road.
That result made it six consecutive wins in all competitions and four straight in the Premier League. Although they remain five points behind leaders Arsenal, City still have a game in hand.
Home form has also been a significant asset. Since their Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in November, Guardiola’s men have gone 13 matches unbeaten at the Etihad, winning each of their last seven on their own ground.
Forest arrive in Manchester enduring a difficult domestic spell. Despite an eye-catching Europa League win over Fenerbahce earlier in the campaign, their league form has failed to yield the same success. Saturday’s defeat at Brighton marked a third loss in succession in all competitions.
Manchester City v Nottingham Forest team news
City are monitoring Erling Haaland after he missed the win over Leeds with a minor issue. A late decision will be made on his availability. Nico O’Reilly is also being assessed following an ankle knock, while Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol are ruled out.
Should O’Reilly not start, either Tijjani Reijnders or Phil Foden could come into the side. Rotation in midfield remains an option given the schedule.
Forest have several injury concerns of their own. Stefan Ortega is a doubt with a calf problem, although Matz Sels has returned to fitness. John Victor, Chris Wood, Willy Boly and Nicolo Savona are all expected to remain unavailable.
Neco Williams was withdrawn early against Brighton but is likely to be considered for selection as Forest prepare for a demanding trip.
Man City v Nottingham Forest predicted line-ups
Manchester City starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi, Rayan Ait-Nouri; Rodri, Bernardo Silva; Antoine Semenyo, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden; Omar Marmoush
Nottingham Forest starting XI: Matz Sels; Neco Williams, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Ola Aina; Ibrahim Sangare, Elliot Anderson; Omari Hutchinson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus
Where to watch Man City v Forest: TV channel, online live stream
Kick-off on Wednesday is at 19:30 (14:30 ET / 11:30 PT). Live TV coverage in the UK is on TNT Sports 4 and the Discovery Plus app.
TNT Sports costs £29.99 a month through Discovery Plus, which includes Eurosport and entertainment and is available on a vast range of devices including smart TVs and gaming consoles.
Manchester City v Nottingham Forest stats
- City have won four of their last five Premier League matches against Nottingham Forest (L1), winning 2-1 earlier this season at the City Ground
- They have won 16 of their last 19 Premier League home games (D2 L1), which is at least three more than any other side since April 2025
- Of Man City’s Premier League wins this season, 39% have been by one goal (7/18), beating Newcastle 2-1 and Leeds 1-0 in their last two. That’s their highest proportion of wins by a single goal since 2012/13 (52%, or 12/23)
- Under Pep Guardiola, City have won 24 of their 26 Premier League games on a Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium (D2), averaging 2.85 points-per-game – the best of any side under a manager at home on a specific day of the week in the competition’s history among teams to have played at least 10 such games
- Guardiola has won 17 of his last 20 Premier League matches against Portuguese managers (D1 L2), including two wins over Vitor Pereira when he was Wolves boss in May 2025 (1-0) and August 2025 (4-0)
- Nico O’Reilly has three goals in City’s last two Premier League home games. A goal in this game would make him the second player to score in three successive home appearances in the competition for the club while aged 20 or younger, after Phil Foden in July 2020
- Since returning to the Premier League in 2022/23, Forest have lost all three of their away Premier League games against Man City without scoring, conceding 11 times. They are winless in eight away top-flight visits (D3 L5) since a 3-0 win in November 1989
- Their three Premier League games at the Etihad have been lost by an aggregate score of 11-0, representing one of three instances in which a side has failed to score while shipping at least 10 goals at a stadium in the competition, along with Birmingham City at Old Trafford (0 goals, 17 conceded) and Bradford City at Old Trafford (0 goals, 10 conceded)
- Across his spells at Wolves (10 games) and Nottingham Forest (2), Vitor Pereira remains winless in the Premier League this season (D2 L10). Only two managers have taken charge of more games in a campaign in the competition without winning: Paul Jewell in 2007/08 (24, all with Derby) and Terry Connor in 2011/12 (13, all with Wolves)
- Only Chris Wood (37) has scored more Premier League goals for Nottingham Forest than Morgan Gibbs-White (24, level with Bryan Roy). Gibbs-White’s seven goals this season are his joint-most in a Premier League campaign (also 7, in 2024/25)
Man City v Forest prediction
Manchester City
3
–
1
Nottingham Forest
Even if Haaland is unavailable, City possess sufficient attacking quality to control this game. Against a Forest side struggling for league momentum and confidence on the road, the hosts should have the upper hand and continue their strong run.
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