Manchester City will travel to the City Ground on Boxing Day to take on Nottingham Forest, aiming to return home with all three points.
Man City will be determined to extend their winning run and keep the Premier League title race tightly contested. Forest, meanwhile, will look to use the home crowd to their advantage and disrupt Man City’s rhythm.
Match Context
Man City sit second in the Premier League table, while Forest find themselves down in 17th.
However, Forest’s form has seen a noticeable uptick under Sean Dyche, with a more disciplined defensive structure and sharper transitions giving them renewed hope of survival.
Despite the gulf in table position, Dyche’s arrival means this fixture won’t be the straightforward outing Man City might have expected a month ago.
Key Player: Rayan Cherki
The Frenchman is enjoying the form of his life on the right flank, creating chances as if it comes to him second nature.
He is averaging whopping 0.97 assists rate per 90, giving 6 assists in 554 minutes of Premier League football.
Under Dyche, Forest have tightened up defensively in a way that’s impossible to ignore, conceding just 12 goals across his 13 matches in charge.
That defensive resilience has turned them from relegation certainties into a side capable of grinding out results against anyone.
Cherki is the spark in this City attack, a high-volume creator who forces openings and feeds chance after chance. He will be key to unlocking the Forest defence.
Recent Form
After their Champions League defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, the Blues responded with a ruthless seven game winning streak. Their last three outings have all ended in clean sheets, with eight goals scored across those fixtures.
This winning streak has been powered by Guardiola’s smart game management: rotating his squad, resting tired legs, and tightening the defence at key moments.
In the last three games, Gianluigi Donnarumma and James Trafford have made a combined 11 saves, while solid defensive work from the back line has helped Man City secure three straight clean sheets.
Inevitable Erling Haaland
The Norwegian continues to score week in and week out, showing no signs of slowing down.
He is averaging 1.12 goals per match, leading the Premier League scoring charts with 19 goals, while the second-highest scorer sits on 11 goals.
His passing and all-round game may still draw criticism, but he has silenced his doubters with an immaculate goal-scoring record.
In 169 appearances for the Blues, the Norwegian has scored 149 goals and provided 24 assists, a staggering 173 goal contributions in 169 games.
He may not be heavily involved in possession or touch the ball often, but his movement shapes the entire match, constantly arriving in scoring positions or dragging defenders away to create space for teammates.
Overall Outlook
After a short Christmas break, Man City will be aiming to secure a convincing victory in Nottingham on Boxing Day.
This match could dictate the rhythm for Man City’s important upcoming clashes with Sunderland and Chelsea.
A commanding display and a clean sheet could provide players a much needed mental boost as they head into the crucial part of the season.