Forest vs. City: Bounce vs. Form | OneFootball

Manchester City travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League as Pep Guardiola’s side look to close the gap on leaders Arsenal.

City have won their last eight matches in a row in all competitions and sit just two points off the top of the table.

Nottingham Forest come into the match off the back of a 1-0 loss to Fulham away from home but they did beat Tottenham 3-0 in their most recent home match.

Manchester City hitting form

Pep Guardiola has won six Premier League titles since he joined City in 2016 and in those seasons his side have hit form at the right time.

In the 2022/23 season, the Citizens pipped Arsenal to the Premier League title but they did not lead the league for much of the season. After 17 matchweeks, Guardiola’s side were five points behind Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal but a late surge from City made sure they brought the trophy home.

Pep Guardiola has insisted that he knows how to win the Premier League: “We will be there [at the end of the season],” he said. “If they follow me, we will be there, but we have to improve. I know the level in Europe, in the Premier League, I know Arsenal and the other teams and how tough they are, it is not enough.”

“The spirit is there. Last season we did not have the spirit or aggression or hunger — all the attributes they need. It is not about the highlights and how good the actions are. There is something that comes from inside.”

After eight wins in a row Manchester City will be hoping to make it nine before the end of 2025 as they look to win their 7th Premier League title in the last decade.

Nottingham Forest looking to bounce back

After an excellent win over Tottenham, Forest followed up with a dismal 1-0 defeat on the road against Fulham.

Sean Dyche was not happy with his side’s intensity in that game: “You have to park these things pretty quickly,” he said. “We did well overall, we weren’t a million miles off. It wasn’t the intensity we showed in the Tottenham game or out in Utrecht though.

“The game was a bit flat in general. Our fans were terrific, they were trying to get the team going, as was I. Sometimes the hardest thing is when everyone is having a bit of a down day.”

Forest are currently five points clear of 18th-placed West Ham, but have been a much-changed side since Dyche took over. After Ange Postecoglou was sacked by Forest they were still 17th but only had five points after eight matches; now they have 18 points in nine matches more.

Dyche will hope that his side can bounce back from the Fulham defeat and take themselves further away from the bottom three positions.