| Odds via 22bet | |
| Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest | December 4, 19:30 GMT+1 |
| Manchester City odds | 1.36 |
| Nottingham Forest odds | 8.00 |
| Draw | 5.15 |
| Over\Under | Total 2,5: 1.61/2.33 |
For the first time during his reign, there will be huge pressure on Pep Guardiola to come up with solutions. Manchester City are currently on their longest winless sequence in the Premier League since 2008, and Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool leaves them languishing in fifth and eleven points off the pace.
The champions continue to struggle in the middle of the park without Rodri, with İlkay Gündoğan tasked with replacing the Spanish star at Anfield in the previous round.
However, it’s not only in the midfield where City look lightweight, as they also offered little in the final third at Anfield, evident from their xG of 0.75. Based on the metric, City is underperforming in the attacking third, scoring just 17 goals from an xG of 20.45.
Defensively, City also contributed to their downfall on Sunday, conceding twice from an xGA of 3.70 against the Reds.
| Recent Form (all competitions, most recent first) | L-D-L-L-L |
| Key Players to Watch | Erling Haaland, Phil Foden |
| Team Strengths | Excellent quality in the final third of the field |
| Team Weaknesses | Vulnerable in the midfield in the absence of Rodri |
| Injuries and Suspensions | Rodri (ACL) John Stones (Muscle) Mateo Kovačić (Muscle) |
Nuno Espirito Santo deserves huge credit for the start to the season that Nottingham Forest have enjoyed this term, as the East Midlands side could be among the dark horse selections to finish in a European spot.
Despite bringing better recent form to the table, Nottingham will be the outsiders when making a Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest prediction. The Tricky Trees bounced back from a two-game losing sequence on Saturday, beating Ipswich 1-0.
Forest have been clinical in the attacking third throughout the season, despite underperforming based on their xG metric of 11.90 goals with nine from open play.
Espirito Santo has set Forest up excellently from a defensive standpoint this season, as they have allowed just ten goals from an xG of 11.77. Their counter-attacking style with pace on the wings in the forms of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi could ensure that they are slightly over-priced in the betting this week.
| Recent Form (all competitions, most recent first) | W-L-L-W-W |
| Key Players to Watch | Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi |
| Team Strengths | Excellent pace on the counter-attack |
| Team Weaknesses | Will be vulnerable if they concede an early goal |
| Injuries and Suspensions | Ibrahim Sangare (Hamstring) |
Forest have a poor record against City since their promotion back to the Premier League. The champions have won three of their four matches against the Tricky Trees, which includes 2-0 and 6-0 home wins.
The latest meeting between the sides ended in a 2-0 win for City at the City Ground in April. Forest’s only positive result against City since the start of the 2022-23 season was a 1-1 home draw in February 2023.
Bet hereAll the attention on Wednesday will be on two of the standout strikers in the Premier League this season. Erling Haaland is typically among the top scorers in the competition, but Chris Wood has been the surprise package in the league.
The striker has scored nine in 13 appearances this season, outscoring his xG of 6.17. Wood has averaged 1.91 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, and he will need to be at his clinical best on Wednesday if Forest are to get anything from their trip to Eastlands.
As you would expect, City will likely dictate the possession in their 4-1-4-1 formation under Pep Guardiola this week, but that could set up perfectly for Nottingham Forest in their counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 formation.
The pace in the wide areas has already been an Achilles heel for City this season, and that will give Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga hope this week.
This showdown is likely to follow a similar pattern to Forest’s win over Liverpool earlier in the season, as the Tricky Trees conceded the lion-share of possession on that day, but were more effective when breaking at speed in the transitions.
It seems remarkable to consider that Manchester City could go eight without a win on Wednesday. We expect Forest to pose serious questions of the champions, and their pace on the counter-attack could see them break through a fragile defence.
However, City’s attacking players could be unleashed at the Etihad on Wednesday, meaning we could see them maintaining their excellent record against Forest by recording a much-needed victory to get their title defence back on track.
Kevin De Bruyne has had a mixed season to this point, but he could be thrust back into the starting eleven on Wednesday, given City’s dire need for a win.
The Belgian playmaker has already scored once in seven matches this season, and he is operating at an xG of 1.35. De Bruyne averages 3.87 shots per 90, and he could prove to be a slightly better price option than siding with Haaland to find the net.
As the away side, we could also see Forest picking up over 3.5 cards on Wednesday. The Tricky Trees have averaged 2.54 yellows per game in the Premier League this season, and they had had over 3.5 cards in 92% of their matches in the top-flight in 2024-25.
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