Game Week 10 Predictions: City to beat Forest at the City Ground

Nottingham Forest is yet to score at home this season, and with the Cityzens in town, will their horrible home run continue? (Photo credit: ...

Nottingham Forest is yet to score at home this season, and with the Cityzens in town, will their horrible home run continue? (Photo credit: Opta)

 Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

City Ground

6:30pm

Nottingham Forest are 19th and still looking for a home league goal. Manchester City are second but have lost back-to-back league games, which is rare for them. The result could shape the title race, and for Oliver Glasner, it could shape the next few weeks of his Forest tenure.

Forest has only six points from nine games. Oliver Glasner’s team have won once, drawn three and lost five, and picked up a single point from their last 15 available. The problem is in the final third: they have scored just six goals in their opening nine league matches and are still waiting for their first home league goal of the season.

They lost 2-0 at Brentford last weekend, and Glasner reportedly held a team meeting afterwards, demanding an immediate improvement. Lack of European engagement this season was meant to help Forest, but they haven't been better than they were last season.

The underlying numbers are kinder than the table. One preview notes that expected-points models suggest Forest should have around nine more points than they have, and City Manager Enzo Maresca has warned against judging them on league position alone, saying their performances have deserved more.

City are second with 21 points, three behind Arsenal, who kicked off earlier today. Defeats by Aston Villa and Brighton have hurt them, though a 3-2 Champions League win at RB Leipzig on Wednesday was a welcome response.

A third league defeat in a row would be unusual for them. They have not lost three Premier League games in a row since February/March 2016, and defensive problems are the main concern, as City have conceded 14 goals in their last seven games in all competitions. They have not kept a clean sheet in any of those seven games.

The history favors the visitors. Forest have won just one of their last nine Premier League meetings with City, drawing three and losing five. That one win came in a 1-0 home victory in March 2025, which has been described as an outlier, since City has lost this fixture only once since Forest returned to the top flight in 2022.

The ground has not been a happy hunting ground for City in other respects, though, and Forest’s one win over them shows the margins can be thin. We expect a dominant performance from the Cityzens and a return to winning ways after back-to-back league losses.

Igor Jesus has returned to training after a calf problem and could feature. Dan Ndoye was ill during the week but should be available, and Daniel Muñoz is managing a minor foot injury. Nicolás Domínguez is out with a hamstring recurrence, and Nicolò Savona, back in training after about 10 months out, is unlikely to play. A likely line-up is Sels, Cunha, Milenković, Murillo, Aina, McAtee, Schlager, Williams, Ndoye, Gibbs-White, and Delap.

Antoine Semenyo (knee) is the city's only injured absentee. Rúben Dias and Jérémy Doku are among the selection questions. Maresca will manage the load of some of his players, but we expect Rayan Cherki back in the starting eleven.

Erling Haaland remains the X-Factor for the visitors. The Norwegian is the obvious threat. He has 14 goals across the Premier League and Champions League this season and has had 26 shots on target in 12 starts. Facing a defense that has not been tested much at home and a team in poor form, he will expect chances.

Elliot Anderson returns to the City Ground for the first time since leaving Forest for City in the summer. His passing and energy in midfield could help City control the game, and he has been involved in City’s goals recently, so the atmosphere around his return will be a story in itself.

Cherki and Phil Foden have the creativity to unlock the Forest defense that will probably sit deep. If City’s attackers play quickly between the lines, Forest’s back three could be stretched. Gianluigi Donnarumma has been poor in goal; is it time to sit him on the bench?

Dan Ndoye, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Igor Jesus are the players the city must be wary of. The trio will hope to finally get off the mark at home. Oliver Glasner is not a stranger to Manchester City; can the German hurt the Cityzens again?

Forest’s numbers suggest they deserve better than their results, and City’s defense has been vulnerable, so a Forest goal is certainly possible. But Forest has not scored at home all season, the city has far more quality in attack, and a team that has lost two in a row will be determined to respond. I expect City to control the match and have too much for Forest, though a tense first half is likely.

Verdict: Manchester City to win.