Confirmed Line-Ups: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City face a tricky test away at Nottingham Forest in search of their eighth consecutive win in all competitions on Saturday afternoon.

The Blues are Arsenal’s closest title challengers and enter this weekend two points adrift of the formidable Gunners, who are favourites to win a first Premier League title since 2004 after making a strong start to their title charge.

Arsenal welcome Brighton to the Emirates Stadium later today but Pep Guardiola will be solely focused on City, who saw off West Ham in a comfortable home win last week before the Catalan gave his players three days off to rest, recuperate and switch off over Christmas.

City were without Jeremy Doku, Rodri, John Stones and Oscar Bobb against West Ham, with Doku missing from the travelling squad to Nottingham and Stones also deemed unfit to feature against Sean Dyche’s side.

Rodri has barely kicked a ball since his recovery from a hamstring injury sustained in a 1-0 win against Brentford in early October, with Nico Gonzalez playing every week for City in the middle of the park to raise his stock as one of Guardiola’s most important players.

Guardiola has admitted that Rodri could make his long-awaited return to action at the City Ground on Saturday, with the 54-year-old and his coaching staff having been ultra-cautious against rushing the Spain international back to action in the backdrop of several fitness setbacks the midfielder has endured since May.

Bobb went off injured in Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Brentford a few weeks ago and has been linked with a possible departure from the Etihad Stadium in January, with the Blues close to signing Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth.

Ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City in the east Midlands, here are the confirmed lineups from both dressing rooms.

Nottingham Forest

Starting XI: John; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Dominguez, Anderson; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White (C), Hudson-Odoi; Jesus.

Substitutes: Sels, Morato, Zinchenko, Abbott, Luiz, McAtee, Bakwa, Awoniyi, Kalimuendo.

Manchester City

Starting XI: Donnarumma; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Nico, Bernardo (C), Reijnders; Cherki, Haaland, Foden.

Substitutes: Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Ake, Rodri, McAidoo, Mukasa, Savinho, R. Heskey.