The 18th-round Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City will take place on 27 december at City Ground. Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City: prediction, betting odds and statistics.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest visited Fulham in the last round and lost 0:1, conceding the only goal from a penalty. The result was the second successive away defeat without scoring in the Premier League, while between those matches the home side thrashed Tottenham 3:0. Interestingly, the club has had no draws in seven consecutive league games (4 wins and 3 defeats). The club sits in 17th place and has increased the gap from the relegation zone to 5 points. The team also scores few goals – 17, with only Wolverhampton (9) having a worse attacking record.
- At least one team failed to score in 6 of the club's previous Premier League matches.
- Nottingham Forest have failed to win in 12 of their last 16 league games (3 draws and 9 defeats).
- At least three goals were scored in 6 of the club's last 8 home Premier League matches.
Potential Nottingham Forest Lineup (4-5-1)*
John Victor – Nicolò Savona, Murillo, Nikola Milenković, Neco Williams – Douglas Luiz, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Omari Hutchinson, Callum Hudson-Odoi – Igor Jesus.
Unavailable: midfielder Ryan Yates, defender Ola Aina and forward Chris Wood are sidelined. Defender Willy Boly and midfielder Ibrahim Sangaré have gone to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Manchester City
Manchester City hosted West Ham at their ground last weekend and comfortably beat one of the outsiders 3:0. It is noteworthy that this was the third consecutive league win by that scoreline. The team took full advantage of an easy run of fixtures, facing five opponents currently below seventh place – resulting in 5 wins, with the visiting team scoring at least three goals in each game. The club continue to chase leaders Arsenal, trailing them by only two points.
- Three or more goals were scored in the previous 8 league matches involving Manchester City.
- The club opened the scoring in their last five Premier League games.
- Manchester City failed to score more than two goals in 12 of their last 15 Premier League away matches.
Potential Manchester City Lineup (4-3-2-1)*
Gianluigi Donnarumma – Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, Nico O'Reilly – Nico González, Bernardo Silva, Tijjani Reijnders – Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden – Erling Haaland.
Unavailable: defender John Stones and midfielders Oscar Bobb, Mateo Kovačić, as well as forward Jeremy Doku are out due to injuries. Defender Ryan Ait-Nouri and forward Omar Marmoush have joined their national team camps.
Referee
Robert Jones (England)
Matches – 10 (Premier League, 2025/26);
Yellow/Red Cards Shown (including second cards) – 37;
Average yellow/red cards per match – 3.7;
Red Cards Shown – 0;
Fouls per match on average – 21;
Penalties – 20%.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City: Match Prediction
Under Sean Dyche Nottingham Forest have noticeably improved their numbers, but they are still far from optimal form. The team struggles away from home and still lacks consistency in home matches. At the same time Nottingham Forest will rely on their stands in this game, but coping with the in-form visitors will be almost impossible. Moreover, the home side have won only 3 of their last 12 Premier League matches at their stadium (2 draws and 7 defeats).
Manchester City, on the other hand, dismantle opponents from the bottom half of the table with relative ease, scoring at least three goals against them. Stopping Guardiola's side will be unrealistic for the hosts, as the visitors already feel the proximity of first place and are not willing to let Arsenal go. We should also note that in the last 6 Premier League head-to-head meetings, Manchester City have won 4 times, several by clean sheets.
Our prediction – Manchester City to win.
Prediction: Manchester City To Win
* For each team, the starting lineup from its previous match in this tournament is indicated.
