Manchester City face Nottingham Forest at the Etihad Stadium in a bid to end their losing run.
City have gone seven without a victory after their recent 2-0 loss at the hands of Liverpool and will be desperate to end their run with three points in the first midweek Premier League fixtures of the season.
Here are five things to look out for from the clash at the Etihad Stadium:
Grealish starting centrally
Manchester City v Feyenoord - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5 Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images
Jack Grealish was signed as a central midfielder for City, but has spent the vats majority of his matches playing on the left hand side.
Pep Guardiola highlighted after the Liverpool game that he felt Grealish in central areas may well help City solve some of their current issues, so it’d be somewhat surprising if City’s record signing doesn’t start in central midfield against Nuno Espirito Santos’ men.
Grealish is one of City’s most creative players and a brilliant ball carrier, and has been at the club long enough now to know what Guardiola expects of the left sided eight in his system.
Going the other way, he’s a willing defender, and perhaps has more physicality, pace and energy in the tank than the likes of Ilkay Gundogan or Rico Lewis, which makes him good at defending transitions.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Guardiola does try it, and if he does, how well it gets on and whether it goes some way to fixing City’s current issues.
Pep with fire in his belly
Liverpool FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Speaking of the City boss, it’s good to see him look as fired up and assured in his team as he usually is despite the poor recent run.
The Catalan is here until 2027 at the least, and has the chance to begin City’s new era following the inevitable summer transfer rebuild.
He has history when it comes to engaging with the Anfield crowd, but his nonchalant six finger response to chants of “sacked in the morning” from Liverpool fans in his direction might well be the pick of his moments.
Some perceive this to be a sign that he’s losing the plot and is resorting to previous success as a form of copium, but to me it shows very much the opposite - he’s going nowhere, and will get City back to winning ways.
Starts for Doku and Savinho
Sporting Clube de Portugal v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
The defensive issues improved against Liverpool (and we can thank Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake for that) but attacking wise, City looked very blunt.
It improved a bit when Jeremy Doku and Savinho came on, and I’d expect at least one of them to start against Forest to inject a bit more energy into the side - particularly if Grealish starts in midfield.
They need to majorly improve their end product if they’re to be considered world class options, but Doku in particular is a handful for any opponent, and will act as an outlet to create more space for his teammates if nothing else.
De Bruyne benched again
UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD5Manchester City FC v Feyenoord Rotterdam Photo by ANP via Getty Images
What was initially supposed to be a minor injury has seen Kevin de Bruyne not start a game in nearly three months, and I doubt he’ll start against Nottingham Forest either.
The Belgian has been training for a long while but continues to feel pain that means he can’t afford to be risking starting games.
His performances when he has come on haven’t been great, and obvious question marks will be asked about his future with his contract expiring at the end of the season.
I’m sure all City fans will be hoping De Bruyne stays, but the immediate priority is his timely return to fitness.
Dias keeping Wood quiet
Liverpool FC v Manchester City FC - Premier League Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
City’s number three was back after injury against Liverpool, and it’s imperative that we see him at his best in order to deal with Nottingham Forest’s target man.
Chris Wood has sparked his career into life in the Midlands, and can now be considered one of the best strikers in the Premier League.
During his time at Burnley and Newcastle United he was a threat due to his box presence and physicality but he’s now a much more refined footballer and is backing it up with the goals, with nine in 13 appearances already this season.
Dias will be up for the fight, however, and will use his own physical frame to try and put the New Zealand international off playing his own game.
Once again, it’ll be a big ask (as always nowadays) for City keep a clean sheet but how Dias performs up against Wood will be vital to helping the Blues win for the first time in over a month.