Seeking to maintain their position at the top of the Premier League, Manchester City travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

While the visitors are looking to secure back-to-back away victories within the space of three days, the hosts will endeavour to extend their unbeaten top-flight home run to eight matches.

Nottingham Forest became the first club in Premier League (PL) history to substitute two starting players inside ten minutes against Fulham last time out as centre-backs Willy Boly and Scott McKenna both suffered injuries. They lost 2-0 after that early upheaval but still remain six points ahead of the relegation zone thanks to a prior five-match unbeaten league run (W3, D2).

Forest are still unbeaten at The City Ground since Fulham beat them in mid-September (W4, D3), but they’ll need all the help they can get against PL leaders Manchester City as they’re yet to beat a side that starts this round in the top eight at home this term (D1, L2). A first H2H here since both were in the First Division in 2001 will test all of their resources, including a reshuffled backline.

Taking into account Forest’s defensive injury concerns, City’s attacking qualities and the one-sided affair that transpired the last time that these two teams met, the visitors should be regarded as firm favourite to claim maximum points this weekend.

Forest have fared much better on home soil so far this season, but we expect Haaland and co to have more joy in front of goal to help the Citizens consolidate their place at the summit.

Steve Cooper’s side will welcome a return to the City Ground where they have picked up 75% of their Premier League points so far this season, winning five and drawing three of their 11 home matches.

A 3-2 defeat to Fulham on September 16 was the last time that Forest lost in the league on home soil, and they have since put together a seven-game unbeaten run in front of their own fans, picking up points against the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in the process

Forest now face the daunting task of attempting to stop Man City in their tracks, but that could prove challenging as they have lost their last seven matches against the reigning Premier League champions by an aggregate score of 29-3.

Nottingham Forest Premier League form:

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Nottingham Forest form (all competitions):

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Manchester City Premier League form:

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Manchester City form (all competitions):

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Victory ended a run of two straight PL away defeats, and funnily enough, manager Pep Guardiola didn’t describe their latest trip to London as “so exhausting”, as he did following their 1-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur!

That loss was the only one of the Cityzens’ last six league away games in which they didn’t open the scoring, so they’ll likely be a threat from the start here.

Players to watch: Brennan Johnson has scored each of Forest’s last three PL goals at home, opening the scoring here in both of their last two home league games. For the visitors, Man City’s Kevin de Bruyne assisted Erling Haaland for a league-high sixth time this PL campaign against Arsenal.

Hot streak: Man City have won their last nine PL games against promoted sides while scoring an average of 3.56 goals per game.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Navas; Aurier, Worrall, Felipe, Lodi; Danilo, Freuler, Shelvey; Gibbs-White; Johnson, Wood

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Laporte; Rodri, Bernardo; Mahrez, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Grealish; Haaland