Manchester City will look to remain hot on the heels of title rivals Arsenal when they face Nottingham Forest at the Etihad on Wednesday evening.
Pep Guardiola's side are threatening to string together one of their classic end-of-season winning streaks, having triumphed in each of their last four Premier League matches – the most recent being a hard-fought 1-0 victory away at Leeds.
That Elland Road success ensured City remain five points behind league leaders Arsenal, although they have played one game fewer.
Eager to maintain their momentum, the Citizens will be expected to overcome relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest this midweek.
Vitor Pereira is still hunting for his first Premier League victory as Forest boss, following Sunday’s 2-1 defeat away at Brighton, in a game that brought up two of my three recommended bets.
That latest setback leaves the Tricky Trees just two points above the relegation zone ahead of this week’s midweek fixtures.
How the bookies view it: Another City success
Currently enjoying a four-game winning streak in the Premier League and boasting the joint-best home record in the division, it comes as no surprise to see Man City installed as heavy 4/11 favourites with bet365.
Nottingham Forest face a daunting task in attempting to snap a five-game winless run in the Premier League, and that challenge is reflected in the pre-match odds, with an away victory trading at 7/1 on bet365, while the draw is also unfancied at 17/4 on Unibet.
Head to head: History favours the hosts
Across all competitions, Manchester City lead the head-to-head with 36 wins to Nottingham Forest’s 27, while there have been 24 draws between the sides.
Guardiola's star-studded side ran out 2-1 winners in this season's reverse fixture. The same scoreline on Wednesday night can be backed at 17/2 on bet365.
Players to watch: Semenyo's fine start to continue?
With an impressive return of four goals and one assist across his first seven Premier League appearances for Manchester City, Antoine Semenyo offers value to register another goal involvement on Wednesday night at 5/6 with PaddyPower.
Having hit the target in eight of his last 12 Premier League outings – including Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton – Morgan Gibbs-White looks worthy of support to repeat the trick at the Etihad this midweek at 11/10 with bet365.
Predicted line-ups
Question marks remain over Erling Haaland’s availability after he missed the trip to Elland Road at the weekend with a knee issue, though it is not expected to sideline him long term. Nico O’Reilly is also rated as doubtful after picking up an ankle injury last time out, while Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are confirmed absentees for the hosts.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are contending with a lengthy injury list that includes Chris Wood, John Victor, Nicolo Savona and Willy Boly. Former Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega could also miss out after sitting out Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton with a calf problem sustained in last week’s Europa League clash with Fenerbahce.
Man City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Gonzalez; Cherki, Reijnders, Foden, Semenyo; Marmoush
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing Manchester City to win alongside under 4.5 goals engineers an eye-catching 4/5 shot on bet365’s Bet Builder feature.
This combination would have proven profitable in 15 of City’s 18 top-flight victories this term, including each of their last eight.
The case for siding with this selection is further strengthened by the fact that it also paid out in this season’s reverse fixture against Nottingham Forest.
GambleAware