MANCHESTER CITY took a huge step towards the title in midweek with a massive win at Arsenal to leapfrog them on top of the Premier League.
And they face a depleted Nottingham Forest side at the City Ground on Saturday as they look to kick on.
The champions have now caught the Gunners and although they have played a game more, the momentum looks to be with Pep Guardiola's side.
While City have been a long way from their best this season, they know how to get the job done and have now won five of their last six games in all competitions.
Forest look good enough to escape relegation, which is of course their main objective. They currently sit six points clear of the drop zone and that's mostly down to their decent home record. They are unbeaten in their last seven at the City Ground and have taken the scalps of the likes of Liverpool, Leicester City, Leeds United and Crystal Palace there.
But they have major injury worries defensively and they had to substitute central defensive pair Willy Boly and Scott McKenna after just seven minutes of their defeat at Fulham in their last game. Both will be out for weeks.
How the bookies view it
Manchester City are strong 1/3 favourites with UniBet, as you would expect.
Nottingham Forest can be backed at 9/1 with Betfred to spring a major shock and the draw is 9/2 with William Hill.
Recent head to heads
Forest suffered a humiliating 6-0 thumping at the Etihad back in August.
This will be City's first visit to Nottingham for 21 years on league business. Forest haven't defeated City at home since 1995.
Players to watch
Brennan Johnson has been on fire for Forest at home recently. He netted a double against Leicester City and the only goal against Leeds United. He is 11/2 with bet365 to score.
With Erling Haaland around the 8/13 mark just to score, the value looks to be elsewhere and Kevin de Bruyne looks to be getting back to his best. He netted against Arsenal in midweek and is 19/5 with William Hill to score on Saturday too.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's hard not to see City kicking on after that midweek success and they should be able to win this comfortably with their hopes aided by Forest's problems at the back.
City should dominate here and although they are far too short to back on their own, they can win this without conceding. Forest have been thumped by City, Arsenal and Manchester United this season all without scoring and the 6/5 with Paddy Power for them to win to nil is enticing.
They should also be able to cover a one-goal handicap too at 10/11, also with Paddy Power as they look to be approaching peak form at the right time.
This English Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City will be played on Feb 18, 2023 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
