David Flower
Dailysports's expert
Manchester City
Nottingham Forest
One of the standout fixtures in Premier League's 14th round will be played on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City hosts Nottingham Forest. We suggest a bet on the match outcome with solid odds.
Match Preview
Pep Guardiola's side suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool over the weekend, marking their fourth consecutive league loss. This slump has seen City drop to fifth place, now trailing the league-leading Merseysiders by 11 points.
Notably, this is City's longest losing streak in the Premier League since August 2008 and an unprecedented situation for Guardiola, who has never lost four consecutive league matches in his managerial career. At home, City has managed four wins from six matches, with one defeat.
Meanwhile, Forest bounced back last round with a 1-0 home win over Ipswich, ending a two-game losing streak against Newcastle (1-3) and Arsenal (0-3). Impressively, they’ve only lost back-to-back matches once this season and have avoided defeat in 11 of their last 14 league games.
Under Nuno Espírito Santo, Forest sits just one point behind City, boasting fewer defeats (3 compared to City's 4) and a superior defensive record, conceding six fewer goals. Remarkably, Forest currently holds the second-best defense in the league, behind only Liverpool.
Probable Line-ups
- Manchester City: Ederson – Akanji, Dias, Gvardiol, Lewis – Kovacic, Nunes – Savio, Bernardo Silva, Foden – Haaland.
- Nottingham Forest: Sels – Aina, Moreno, Murillo, Milenković – Yates, Domínguez – Elanga, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi – Wood.
Match Facts and Head-to-Head
- In their last five meetings, Manchester City has won three times, losing once.
- Only one of those five encounters saw both teams score.
- Over 2.5 goals were scored in just two of those five matches.
Prediction
Manchester City finds itself in a rare crisis, and defeating Forest won’t be straightforward. While Forest fell to Arsenal and Newcastle, they also stunned Liverpool away from home. Considering City's struggles and Forest's defensive resilience, a bet on "Nottingham Forest +1.5 handicap" at odds of 1.86 looks appealing.
