A red-hot Manchester City are making the trip south to the East Midlands on Saturday afternoon to take on Nottingham Forest in their final test of the calendar year.
What began to look like a runaway for Arsenal atop the Premier League standings is now anything-but thanks to the City’s return to strength. Pep Guardiola’s side have strung together five consecutive league victories to climb their way back into second place, just two points off the league-leaders.
Amid the scintillating streak, City also punched their tickets to the Carabao Cup semifinals and secured three points against Real Madrid in the Champions League. The club’s attention now turns to Nottingham Forest, the only remaining opponent for the former English champions to face in 2025.
Sean Dyche’s men sit just above the relegation zone and are coming off a disappointing 1–0 defeat to Fulham. The Tricky Trees would love nothing more than to bounce back with a result against the Cityzens—especially since they eliminated Forest in the 2024–25 FA Cup semifinals—but City’s recent swagger presents a likely insurmountable challenge for the 17th-place side.
Here is Sports Illustrated’s guide to the Premier League clash.
What Time Does Nottingham Forest vs. Man City Kick Off?
- Location: Nottingham, England
- Stadium: The City Ground
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
- Kick-off Time: 12:30 p.m. GMT / 7:30 a.m. ET / 4:30 a.m. PT
- Referee: Rob Jones
- VAR: Andy Madley
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)
- Nottingham Forest: 1 win
- Man City: 4 wins
- Draws: 0
- Last meeting: Nottingham Forest 0–2 Man City (Apr. 27, 2025)—FA Cup
Current Form (All Competitions)
| Nottingham Forest | Man City |
|---|---|
| Fulham 1–0 Nottingham Forest - 22/12/25 | Man City 3–0 West Ham - 20/12/25 |
| Nottingham Forest 3–0 Tottenham - 14/12/25 | Man City 2–0 Brentford - 17/12/25 |
| FC Utrecht 1–2 Nottingham Forest - 11/12/25 | Crystal Palace 0–3 Man City - 14/12/25 |
| Everton 3–0 Nottingham Forest - 6/12/25 | Real Madrid 1–2 Man City - 10/12/25 |
| Wolves 0–1 Nottingham Forest - 3/12/25 | Man City 3–0 Sunderland - 6/12/25 |
How to Watch Nottingham Forest vs. Man City on TV, Live Stream
| Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | TNT Sports One, TNT Sports Ultimate |
| United States | USA Network, NBC Sports App, Sling TV |
| Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada |
| Mexico | FOX One |
Nottingham Forest Team News
Nottingham Forest are still missing last season’s top scorer Chris Wood, who suffered a knee injury back in October. There is no timetable for the striker’s return, leaving Igor Jesus as the team’s No. 9 for the foreseeable future.
Dyche also must compensate for Ibrahim Sangaré while the 28-year-old—along with fellow countryman Willy Boly— remains with the Ivory Coast national team at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Douglas Luiz is once again expected to get the nod alongside Elliot Anderson in the midfield.
The biggest decision, though, comes between the posts. Matz Sels is back from injury and the favourite to start despite John Victor’s impressive performances in his absence. Ola Aina and Ryan Yates, meanwhile, are still not fit enough for action.
Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs. Man City
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs. Man City (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenković, Murillo, Williams; Luiz, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus.
Man City Team News
Guardiola will once again be unable to call on Omar Marmoush and Rayan Aït-Nouri for Saturday’s clash. The two players are representing Egypt and Algeria respectively at the AFCON.
The injured Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovačić, Rodri and Jérémy Doku are all set to end the year in the infirmary, leaving the door open for Nico González, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki to retain their places in Man City’s XI.
John Stones’s status remains somewhat of a mystery. The defender has been sidelined for nearly the entire month with a thigh injury, but there is optimism surrounding his recovery. The England international faces a late fitness test for his team’s trip to the City Ground.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest
Man City predicted lineup vs. Nottingham Forest (4-1-4-1): Donnrumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Nico; Silva, Cherki, Foden, Reijnders; Haaland.
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City Score Prediction
At their current form, Man City are primed to waltz into the City Ground and comfortably leave with three points as a belated Christmas present. The Cityzens have scored 18 goals in December alone, and Forest simply do not have the quality to silence Haaland and his supporting cast.
The hosts will be lucky to score. Guardiola’s men have conceded just one goal in their last five matches, racking up clean sheets against Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Brentford and West Ham.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Nottingham Forest vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups.
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