The matchday 29 Premier League clash between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest will take place on 4 March at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Manchester City
The team played a tough away game on Saturday against Leeds, but thanks to one clinical finish they managed to beat the Premier League newcomers 1:0. That was a fourth straight league win, as well as a sixth consecutive unbeaten match in the Premier League (five wins and one draw). That impressive run has allowed them to cut the gap to Arsenal to five points, with the Sky Blues also having a game in hand. It is also worth noting that the club have lost top spot in the competition for goals scored (57), with the Gunners now leading by just one goal.
- No more than three goals were scored in 13 of the previous 14 Premier League matches involving the Sky Blues.
- Manchester City opened the scoring in seven of their last nine league games.
- The team scored at least two goals in 11 of their previous 13 home Premier League matches.
Potential Manchester City Lineup (4-4-2)*
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Rayan Ait-Nouri, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Marc Guehi – Rodri, Nico O'Reilly, Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki – Omar Marmoush, Antoine Semenyo.
Defender Josko Gvardiol and midfielder Mateo Kovacic are unavailable due to injuries. Striker Erling Haaland remains a doubt (recovering from a minor issue).
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, lost in the previous round. Playing away from home, the club came up short against Brighton, with the score ending 1:2. As a result, their winless run in the league has extended to five matches, with two draws and three defeats. It is also worth noting that across their last three Premier League games, Nottingham Forest have scored just once. The club are in a dangerous position, with the relegation zone only two points away. And, of course, we should add that the team have scored only 26 goals — just six more than Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have the worst attack in the competition.
- No more than two goals were scored in five of Nottingham Forest's previous seven league matches.
- Nottingham Forest have not scored more than once in their last five Premier League games.
- The team's uncompromising away run in the Premier League stands at 11 matches — four wins and seven defeats.
Potential Nottingham Forest Lineup (4-5-1)*
Matz Sels – Ola Aina, Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo – Omari Hutchinson, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ibrahim Sangare, Callum Hudson-Odoi – Igor Jesus.
In the treatment room, the team have striker Chris Wood, defenders Willy Boly and Nicola Savona, and goalkeeper John Victor. Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is a doubt (injury).
Referee
Darren England (England)
Matches – 16 (Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 63;
Average yellow cards per match – 3.9;
Red cards shown – 2;
Average fouls per match – 22;
Penalties – 19%.
Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest: Match Prediction
Nottingham Forest are clearly missing Chris Wood in attack. The New Zealander scored frequently last season and, thanks to his finishing, the team managed to qualify for European competition. But in this campaign the striker has spent a long period sidelined, and there is nobody to replace him. As a result, Nottingham Forest do not score many goals and, largely because of that, have dropped plenty of points. It will be very difficult for the visitors to compete with Manchester City, given the home side have hit excellent form — form that can be described as title-winning.
The hosts come into this match on the back of four straight league victories. On top of that, Manchester City have been superb at their own ground, winning 11 of their last 13 Premier League home matches, with just two draws. In that home run, the team won by a margin of two or more goals on nine occasions. We think there will be another convincing win for the Sky Blues in this contest. The same happened in each of the last three head-to-head meetings at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League, and on none of those occasions did the hosts concede.
Prediction: Manchester City (-1.5)
* For each team, the starting XI listed is from their previous match in this competition.