Nottingham Forest — Manchester City Prediction, H2H and Probable Lineups — 27 December 2025
On December 27, 2025, in Matchday 18 of the English Premier League, Nottingham Forest will host Manchester City. The match is set to kick off at 13:30 Central European Time. Let’s take a closer look at the potential outcome of this clash.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest approach this match in fairly good form. In their last three matches, the team have recorded two wins and one defeat. They secured victories in the Europa League and then produced an impressive 3–0 home win over Tottenham. However, in their most recent outing, Forest suffered a narrow 1–0 away defeat to Fulham.
As for their league position, the situation is still far from comfortable. Nottingham Forest currently sit 17th in the Premier League table with 18 points, holding a five-point gap above the relegation zone.
Their home form has also been inconsistent. From eight home games, Forest have collected just 10 points. That said, recent performances at their home stadium have been more encouraging — only one defeat in their last six home matches across all competitions.
In the Europa League, Nottingham Forest are currently 6th in the standings and remain in the fight for a place in the play-offs.
Looking at home head-to-head meetings against Manchester City, Nottingham Forest have struggled. In their last seven home matches against City, Forest have managed just one win, along with two draws and four defeats.
Manchester City
Manchester City are in excellent form and approach this match on the back of an impressive seven-match winning streak across all competitions. Their last defeat came at the end of November in the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen, after which City have won seven consecutive matches.
In the Champions League, City later defeated Real Madrid and sit fourth in the table, remaining firmly in contention. During this run, they also beat Brentford in the EFL Cup quarter-final, advancing to the semi-finals, where they will face Newcastle.
In the Premier League, Manchester City are also performing confidently. The team currently occupy second place, trailing league leaders Arsenal by just two points. Their attacking output has been outstanding, with 41 goals scored in 17 league matches.
Erling Haaland continues to be the key figure in attack, having scored 19 goals, accounting for nearly half of City’s total, and he is currently the top scorer in the Premier League.
Looking at the head-to-head record against Nottingham Forest, Manchester City clearly dominate. In the last five meetings, City have recorded four wins and one defeat. Notably, four of those five matches finished with under 2.5 goals.
Probable Lineups
- Nottingham: John, Zinchenko, Murillo, Milenkovic, Williams, Luiz, Anderson, Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Hutchinson, Igor Jesus
- Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, O'Reilly, Gvardiol, Dias, Reijnders, Nico, Bernardo, Foden, Cherki, Haaland
Key Facts and Head-to-Head
- Nottingham have won 3 of their last 4 home matches.
- 3 of Nottingham’s last 4 matches have seen over 2.5 goals.
- Manchester City have won their last 7 matches.
- Manchester City have won 4 of their last 6 away matches.
- Manchester City have won 4 of last 5 head-to-head meetings.
- 4 of the last 5 head-to-head meetings have seen under 2.5 goals.
Nottingham Forest — Manchester City Prediction
Nottingham Forest come into this match in fairly good form. In recent games, the team have looked relatively solid and are currently enjoying a decent home run. However, their overall position in the league table remains critical, and they are still involved in the fight near the bottom. As for Manchester City, the team are in excellent shape both in the Champions League and in the Premier League, delivering strong results and showing high attacking efficiency. In head-to-head meetings, Manchester City clearly dominate Nottingham Forest, both at home and away, and in general across recent encounters. Therefore, despite Nottingham’s recent improvement, Manchester City are rightly considered the clear favourites for this match. My bet for this match: Manchester City to Win at odds of 1.57.
