Seeking to preserve their perfect start in the Premier League, reigning champions Manchester City welcome Nottingham Forest to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
While the hosts are sitting pretty at the Premier League summit, the visitors currently sit eighth in the table after picking up seven points from their last four top-flight matches.
Manchester City fans are understandably in buoyant mood after watching their side claim five wins from five Premier League games, including last weekend’s 3-1 success away against West Ham United courtesy of strikes from summer signing Jeremy Doku, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland.
Pep Guardiola’s men had to come from behind at half time to claim maximum points in the capital, and they were tasked to do the same on Tuesday night when they began the defence of their Champions League crown at home to Red Star Belgrade, eventually conquering by a 3-1 scoreline in their opening Group G fixture.
Osman Bukari surprisingly put Red Star in front with their first shot on target on the stroke of half time, but a dominant Citizens outfit, who in contrast had 37 shots and 76% possession throughout the 90 minutes, turned the game on its head after the break thanks to a brace from Julian Alvarez and a composed finish from last season’s Champions League final hero Rodri to help City extend their club record of successive home wins to 19 in all competitions.
Form at the Etihad has been a huge factor behind City’s recent success, and not only do they boast a 27-game unbeaten home run in the Champions League – the third-longest run in the competition’s history – they have also won all 12 of their Premier League home games in 2023, scoring 35 goals in the process.
Man City will fancy their chances of claiming another three points on Saturday and becoming just the second reigning Premier League champion after Chelsea in 2005-06 to win their opening six top-flight games of a season when they take on Nottingham Forest, who they have beaten in each of their last three home meetings without reply, including last season’s thumping 6-0 triumph in August 2022.
Nearly three weeks on from losing 1-0 at home to Burnley in the EFL Cup second round, Nottingham Forest were on course to suffer the same defeat heading into the final half-hour of their Premier League clash with the Clarets on Monday.
However, debutant Callum Hudson-Odoi announced himself to the City Ground faithful with a stunning second-half strike from outside the area to rescue a 1-1 draw for Steve Cooper’s side, in a game that Burnley were controversially denied a late winner by VAR because of a dubious handball.
Considering Forest have already faced Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea away from home this season, Cooper will be reasonably pleased to have seen his side accumulate seven points from their first five Premier League games, but another tricky away trip is on the horizon at the home of the reigning champions.
Forest’s slender 1-0 victory at Chelsea in their last match on the road – one of just two away league wins in 14 games since the turn of the year – will breed confidence within Cooper’s squad heading to the Etihad, but they enter Saturday’s fixture having failed to win any of their last six league meetings with Man City.
The only time Forest have celebrated success at the Etihad was as a Championship club back in January 2009 when they stunned the Citizens with a 3-0 FA Cup win under former caretaker boss John Pemberton.
Man City’s Bernardo Silva is ruled out for up to two weeks with an unspecified leg injury picked up in the win over Red Star, and the playmaker will join Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring) and John Stones (muscle) in the treatment room.
Mateo Kovacic has missed the last two games with a muscle problem in his back, and Saturday’s game may come too soon for the midfielder, but Guardiola has revealed that Jack Grealish could feature against Forest after taking part in training this week following a spell out with a knee issue.
The absence of Bernardo will likely see Doku recalled to the first XI to start on the opposite flank to Phil Foden, while Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji will both be pushing to start in defence and could replace Nathan Ake and Sergio Gomez.
Alvarez scored his first two Premier League goals for Man City in last season’s 6-0 home win over Forest, and the Argentine is expected to continue in attack alongside Haaland, who netted a hat-trick against the Tricky Trees in the same fixture.
As for Forest, Harry Toffolo (FA suspension) is unavailable for selection and Brazilian midfielder Danilo is ruled out for “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury, while Felipe, Wayne Hennessey (both knee) and Serge Aurier (unspecified) are all injury doubts; Willy Boly (illness) will also be assessed ahead of kickoff.
Gonzalo Montiel, who was run ragged by Burnley’s Luca Koleosho and withdrawn shortly after half time on his Forest debut, could be replaced by Ola Aina, who may start at either right-back or right wing-back depending on whether Cooper operates with a back four or five-man defence, while Arsenal loanee Nuno Tavares could be handed his first start on the left side of defence.
Big-money summer signing Ibrahim Sangare and Orel Mangala could link arms again in the middle of the pitch, while Hudson-Odoi, Morgan Gibbs-White and former Manchester United man Anthony Elanga will all be hoping to retain their places in the final third along with striker Taiwo Awoniyi.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ederson; Walker, Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, Nunes; Foden, Alvarez, Doku; Haaland
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Turner; Boly, Worrall, McKenna; Aina, Sangare, Mangala, Tavares; Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
We say: Manchester City 3-2 Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest have already caused plenty of problems on their travels to Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea this term, albeit the latter two teams are not at their best at present, and another positive display is required if they are to cause an upset on Saturday.
Man City have conceded in each of their last four games which will be a slight cause for concern for Guardiola, but given the abundance of attacking quality at the Citizens’ disposal, they should have few problems breaching Forest’s backline en route to another home victory.
