Preview: Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest - prediction, team news, lineups

The Manchester City second-half-of-season juggernaut is rolling, and the Sky Blues will seek a fifth straight Premier League win in Wednesday's clash with Nottingham Forest at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola's men edged out Leeds United 1-0 on Saturday to keep their title fate in their own hands, while the Tricky Trees fell to a 2-1 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Match preview

No Erling Haaland = no problem for Man City and Antoine Semenyo, as the Sky Blues' new signing filled the Scandinavian's boots to settle Saturday's contest with a rejuvenated Leeds side at Elland Road.

A fresh injury prevented Haaland from turning out against the team from his birth city, but with seconds remaining in the first half, Semenyo connected with Rayan Ait-Nouri's cross to prolong Man City's praiseworthy winning sequence.

Now boasting six straight victories in all tournaments - and four from their most recent four Premier League clashes - the Sky Blues remain five points behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League table, but still boasting a game in hand on the Gunners.

The walls of the Etihad fortress have also been standing strong since November's Champions League loss to Bayer Leverkusen, as the Citizens have avoided defeat in each of their last 13 fixtures on their own turf, winning each of their last seven.

Furthermore, Wednesdays have traditionally been wonderful for Guardiola in the Premier League; the Catalan coach has won 24 of the 26 English top-flight home matches he has taken charge of on that particular day, averaging a stunning 2.85 points per match.

To say the odds are stacked heavily in Man City's favour this week would be an understatement, especially as Nottingham Forest's record-breaking fourth manager of the season - Vitor Pereira - is yet to inspire a domestic turnaround.

A stunning success over Fenerbahce in the Europa League has so far been a false dawn for the Garibaldi, who have lost their three subsequent matches since that standout 3-0 success in Turkey, although their 2-1 second-leg defeat to the Super Lig titans did not hinder their continental progression.

Pereira's men were arguably unfortunate to go down 1-0 to Liverpool, but Brighton were full value for their 2-1 win at the Amex, where Forest needed returning goalkeeper Matz Sels to spare them from further embarrassment on the South Coast.

As Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United also failed to pick up points at the weekend, it is as you were in terms of the relegation picture, with the 17th-placed Tricky Trees two clear of the Irons and two worse off than the Europa League champions with 10 games to go.

Including his appalling autumn with Wolverhampton Wanderers, Pereira is yet to mastermind a single Premier League win in 2025-26 - suffering defeat in 10 of his 12 games - and to make matters worse for Forest, they have lost their last three away to Man City by an aggregate score of 11-0.

Manchester City Premier League form:

Manchester City form (all competitions):

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

Team News

Man City fans are waiting with bated breath to hear the latest on Haaland's condition; Guardiola has confirmed that the Norwegian's issue is not a knee problem and is thought to be minor, but his status for Wednesday is still up in the air.

The home manager will also have to make a last-minute check on Nico O'Reilly, who took a blow to the ankle at Elland Road, while Croatian duo Mateo Kovacic (foot) and Josko Gvardiol (calf) are definite absentees for the Citizens.

Either Tijjani Reijnders or Phil Foden should be the beneficiaries if the exuberant O'Reilly is spared, and it would not be a shock to see Rodri make way for Nico Gonzalez while games come thick and fast.

Meanwhile, Forest goalkeeper Stefan Ortega may miss out on a reunion with erstwhile club Man City due to his recent calf injury in the Europa League, but Sels has made a full recovery from a groin issue at the perfect time.

Ortega is one of five fitness concerns for Forest alongside John Victor (knee), Chris Wood (knee), Willy Boly (unspecified) and Nicolo Savona (knee), none of whom are expected to return in the coming weeks.

Full-back Neco Williams also appeared jaded in the Brighton loss as he came off before the hour mark, but Pereira will surely see the need to field his strongest possible XI at the home of the title chasers.

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez; Cherki, Reijnders, Foden, Semenyo; Marmoush

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

We say: Manchester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest

The stricken Haaland and O'Reilly may be two of Man City's chief goal threats at present, but Guardiola still possesses plenty of capable goalscorers who can deputise for the duo.

Facing a jaded Forest side whose display at Brighton left a lot to be desired, the Sky Blues should pass this test with flying colours to keep Arsenal on their toes.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.