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Manchester Evening News
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Dan Brown

Three pundits agree on Nottingham Forest vs Man City prediction

Manchester City will be looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they face Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues secured a 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Wednesday night and climbed above their opponents to the top of the league. Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland were all on target for Pep Guardiola's side against the Gunners, who still have a game in hand over City.

Arsenal - who play at 12:30pm on Saturday - will have the chance to move back to the top of the table, but depending on the two clubs' respective results, it could be City who end the night in that position. While Forest have been much-improved in recent months, the Blues will still be confident of securing the win.

READ MORE: Akanji sets Arsenal target

Guardiola will once again be without centre-back John Stones for the clash with Forest on Saturday, with the Catalan confirming on Friday that the defender was 'doing better', but that he would not be fit in time for the weekend. Despite this, City will still be able to field a strong defence against Steve Cooper's side.

Here are the pundits' predictions for City's clash with Nottingham Forest:

Chris Sutton (BBC)

"This is a tricky game for Manchester City because Nottingham Forest have such a good record at the City Ground, where they have not been beaten in the league since September. I still worry about City's left-back position and you can get at them defensively. Forest will have a real go at home.

"But we saw Pep Guardiola's side flex their muscles when they beat Arsenal to go top of the league on Wednesday. It was a reminder that they have players who can produce moments of brilliance.

"City's second-half display really was excellent and I don't even think they have really hit their stride yet, which is ominous for the rest of the Premier League - there is much more to come from them."

Sutton's prediction: Forest 0-2 City

Paul Merson (Sportskeeda)

"Manchester City might rest a few players in the Premier League because of next week's Champions League match, but Nottingham Forest are a decent team at home. This is a game where City need to stamp their authority. They can rest their players when they face teams like Bayern Munich later on in the season. They need to play a strong team here.

"Jack Grealish scored a brilliant goal yesterday [Wednesday], and he's now occupying positions that he wasn't getting into last season. When he joined the club, he wasn't getting to the far post. He's now in there, and it's paid off. This is what happens at Man City - as soon as their players get what the manager wants, they score loads of goals.

"Nottingham Forest will sit back and defend, and they've got pace on the counter with Brennan Johnson. I think Man City will tire Forest out in the end, and I don't see how they don't win this game."

Merson's prediction: Forest 0-3 City

Mark Lawrenson (Paddy Power)

"I bumped into Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper at the Merseyside derby on Monday. I asked him who they had at the weekend. When he said Manchester City I just said, ‘Good luck’ and all he could do was smile.

"The problem for Forest is having enough of the ball to create anything, let alone keeping Manchester City out at the other end. The way Kevin De Bruyne’s playing at the moment you have to fancy City in every game."

Lawrenson's prediction: Forest 0-3 City

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