Nottingham Forest face Manchester City in the Premier League at the City Ground on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola's side went top of the table with victory over Arsenal in midweek.
And here is how MEN Sport expect the visitors to line up at the City Ground.
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Goalkeeper – Ederson
There is a little debate over who should start in goal for Guardiola’s possession focused system, with Ederson’s unique skillset making him the perfect fit. Despite being responsible for Arsenal’s opener from the penalty spot after a mistimed effort to close down Eddie Nketiah, Ederson will rightfully remain between the sticks.
Defenders - Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake
The defence is arguably the area of the pitch where Guardiola does his most regular rotation and experimentation.
Most recently we have seen Bernardo Silva fill the shoes of João Cancelo in the inverted left back role, but it wasn’t until Manuel Akanji was introduced against Arsenal and City reverted to a more conventional back four that they looked assured.
For this reason, it is likely that Saturday’s visitors will favour the solid back four that blunted the Gunners in the second half last time out.
Midfielders - Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva
Although Ilkay Gundogan has performed well for City in both of their last two victories, he may be rested against Forest with the German completing the full 90 last time and a busy schedule with Champions League knock-out games around the corner.
Bernardo Silva could be moved back into his natural position of midfield where he can more easily influence the game whilst Kevin De Bruyne continues to be mesmerizingly unstoppable, capable of creating and affecting the game from almost anywhere on the pitch, making him a sure starter against the Reds.
Forwards - Riyad Mahrez, Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish
At the moment the Sky Blues’ forward line is not only in form and combining well, but also picking itself as Guardiola seems to have finally settled on his preferred front three.
Erling Haaland is a force to be reckoned with, having already matched the highest number of goals scored for Manchester City in a Premier League season of 26, set by Sergio Aguero in the 2014/15 season, and the Norwegian almost guaranteed to start.
In recent weeks Jack Grealish has found his feet and finally looks to be living up to the £100 million the Manchester club paid for him last summer, making his place in City’s starting XI more assured with each improved performance.
Riyad Mahrez, despite being substituted midweek, has an abundance of unique qualities, and will also likely keep his starting spot at the City Ground in Saturday’s 15:00 kick-off.
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