Nottingham vs Man City Preview and Prediction: The reigning champions escape at the last minute.
The match between Nottingham and Man City in the English Premier League will take place at 7:30 PM on March 8th. Nghe An Newspaper analyzes the form, provides football commentary, and predicts the score.
Latest team news for Nottingham vs Man City
Nottingham Forest have only one injury concern: reserve goalkeeper Carlos Miguel (hamstring), meaning Matz Sels, who brilliantly saved the winning penalty in the victory against Ipswich, will continue to be in goal.
In defense, centre-back Nikola Milenkovic and versatile full-back Neco Williams are likely to be chosen to replace Morato and Alex Moreno, along with Ola Aina and Murillo to form the back four. In midfield, Elliot Anderson could return to the starting lineup and partner with one of three players: Danilo, Nicolas Dominguez, or Ryan Yates.
Up front, Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi are expected to continue manning the wings, while Morgan Gibbs-White could take on an attacking midfield role, supporting striker Chris Wood. The New Zealand forward is in impressive form, having been involved in 11 goals in his last 9 Premier League games, including 8 goals and 3 assists. He is also the only player to score for Forest against Man City since the team's promotion back to the Premier League in 2022.
On the Manchester City side, Nathan Ake has joined the injury list alongside Rodri (anterior cruciate ligament), Manuel Akanji (groin muscle), John Stones (thigh) and Oscar Bobb (fitness) after undergoing surgery for a broken foot earlier this week.
After making 11 changes to the squad in the win against Plymouth, Pep Guardiola is likely to continue rotating on Saturday. Players such as Ederson, Abdukodir Khusanov, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush all have a chance to compete for a starting spot.
One name that is almost certain to be included is Erling Haaland. Of his 20 Premier League goals this season, 13 have helped Man City take a one-goal lead (9) or bring the game back to a tie (4). No player in the league this season has scored as many decisive goals as Haaland, except for Mohamed Salah, who also has 13 goals of similar significance.
Latest predicted lineups for Nottingham vs Man City
Nottingham Forest:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Danilo, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Manchester City:
Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Kovacic; Savinho, Marmoush, Doku; Haaland
Latest football match prediction: Nottingham vs Man City
After struggling to avoid relegation last season, even the most optimistic Nottingham Forest fans could hardly have imagined their team competing for a top-four spot this season, and being just one game away from the FA Cup semi-final.
Forest needed penalty shootouts to overcome both Exeter City and Ipswich Town in the fourth and fifth rounds of the FA Cup. In their match against Ipswich on Monday, they drew 1-1 after 120 minutes before winning 5-4 on penalties at City Ground.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side will face Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup quarter-finals. However, since their resounding 7-0 victory over Brighton in the Premier League on February 1st, Forest have shown signs of slowing down, having only earned one point in their last three league matches.
They suffered consecutive defeats against Fulham (2-1) and Newcastle United (4-3), and were then held to a goalless draw at home by Arsenal just over a week ago. Although they remain third in the table, the gap between them and the chasing pack has narrowed considerably, with only 6 points separating third and tenth place with only 11 rounds remaining in the season.
Finding the winning feeling again this Saturday will be no easy task, as Forest have failed to beat Man City in their last nine Premier League encounters (two draws, seven defeats). Their last victory against the Manchester side was a dramatic 3-2 win at Maine Road in the Championship in December 1997.
Three days after their narrow 1-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, Man City avoided a shock in the FA Cup by coming from behind to beat Plymouth Argyle 3-1 in the fifth round last weekend at the Etihad.
Kevin De Bruyne scored and assisted both of Nico O'Reilly's goals, helping Man City secure a place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Bournemouth later this month, keeping their title hopes alive.
Man City are currently considered the top contenders for the FA Cup title. However, their immediate focus will be on the Premier League and the race for a Champions League spot next season. If they secure all three points against Forest in Saturday's early match, they will solidify their position in the top four and guarantee third place after this round of matches.
The trip to City Ground will mark the eighth time since November that Man City have entered a round of matches while sitting in the top four of the Premier League. However, in the previous seven matches under similar circumstances, they have only earned 1 point and conceded at least 2 goals in each game, for a total of 19 goals conceded.
However, only Liverpool (22 points) and Arsenal (18 points) have earned more points than Man City (16 points – 5 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses) in the Premier League in 2025. Furthermore, Man City is also the highest-scoring team in the league since the beginning of the year, with 21 goals, tied with Liverpool.
Guardiola's team has reason to be confident ahead of this away match, having won all three of their most recent Premier League encounters against Nottingham Forest with a combined score of 7-0. If they win again, it will be the first time in history that Man City have achieved a streak of four consecutive wins against Forest in England's top flight.
Latest Nottingham vs Man City score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Nottingham vs Man Cityas follows:
- Sportsmole:Nottingham 1-2 Man City
- WhoScore:Nottingham 0-2 Man City
- Our newspaper predicts:Nottingham 1-2 Man City
When and where can I watch Nottingham vs Man City live?
To watch the Nottingham vs Man City match live in the English Premier League at 7:30 PM on March 8th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.
