Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

Saturday’s Premier League action gets underway at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest and Manchester City lock horns in a top-four six-pointer.

After barely avoiding relegation last season, few would’ve thought Nottingham Forest would commence Matchday 28 above defending champions Man City in the table. However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have enjoyed a remarkable campaign despite losing three of their last five league matches (W1, D1). Forest must end that rotten patch to reinforce their hopes of locking down an unlikely top-four finish, with their lead on the nearest competitors shrinking to two points. Beating Man City for the first time since December 1997 would be massive (D2, L7), with the City Ground providing a potentially perfect backdrop. Indeed, the Tricky Trees have won seven of their last ten home league games (D2, L1), including a memorable 7-0 rout of Brighton in February.

On the other hand, Manchester City partially atoned for a dismal Champions League exit to Real Madrid in the knockout playoffs with a 3-1 win against second-tier Plymouth in the FA Cup, maintaining their hopes of avoiding a first trophyless season in almost a decade. Furthermore, Pep Guardiola’s charges narrowly beat Tottenham 1-0 in their last Premier League outing to steer a point away from fifth-placed Chelsea. However, consistency has been an issue for the Citizens as they’ve alternated between winning (3) and losing (2) across their last five league matches, with four games (won/lost) in this sequence yielding multi-goal margins! Another defeat here would condemn Man City to their worst loss haul during Guardiola’s trophy-laden tenure!