Nottingham Forest have had the adrenaline of an FA Cup victory to help with their recovery from Monday night's exertions as they prepare for another huge game - this time in the Premier League.
The Reds needed extra-time and penalties to see off Ipswich Town in the fifth round tie at the City Ground earlier this week. Matz Sels’ spot-kick save from Jack Taylor booked Nuno’s side a place in the quarter-finals, setting up a clash with Brighton and Hove Albion later this month.
Before then, third-placed Forest have some big league games to come as they look to retain their lofty position in the table. And they don’t get much bigger than Saturday’s clash at home to Manchester City (12.30pm kick-off).
Pep Guardiola’s team are one place and one point below the Reds in the table. It has not been a vintage season for them but they still triumphed 3-0 at the Etihad when the sides met in the reverse fixture in December.
City played their FA Cup tie, at home to Plymouth Argyle, last Saturday and came through 3-1 in the 90 minutes. It is a quicker turnaround for Forest, while they also had to go through 120 minutes before reaching the decisive shootout after the game had finished 1-1.
“It’s not easy to go overtime at this stage of the season, but winning helps with the recovery,” Nuno said afterwards. “The legs will get better sooner.”
The Portuguese named a pretty strong starting XI against the Tractor Boys - certainly a stronger line-up than in previous rounds of the competition. Six changes were made on the back of the 0-0 draw at home to Arsenal last Wednesday, with Nikola Milenkovic the only regular starter left out of the match squad completely.
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Big-hitters Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Neco Williams were all among the substitutes. And they were all needed as Forest had to call on their cavalry.
In an ideal world, Nuno would no doubt have preferred for the quartet to have remained on the bench - or at least to have played fewer minutes than they did. All four will likely come back into the XI at the weekend.
The majority of the team picks itself in the league. Few of the players who came in on Monday night really staked a claim to keep their spot. Midfielders Ryan Yates and Ibrahim Sangare were the exceptions.
The centre of the pitch is the one area where there is a question mark over who should get the nod against City. Anderson is a given, but there is a debate to be had over who will line up alongside him.
There is always the possibility Nuno will go with three in midfield, to try to shut out the visitors. That would mean sacrificing one of his attackers, though, and the 4-2-3-1 formation has worked well for the Reds for much of this season.
Nicolas Dominguez got the nod to be Anderson’s partner in the league games against the Gunners and Newcastle United, but the Argentine hasn’t exactly convinced lately. Prior to those games, Danilo had struggled when he started in the 2-1 defeat at Fulham.
Sangare continues to divide opinion among supporters but did his bit against Ipswich. On current form, though, Yates must surely be the one pushing to start on Saturday. He levelled the scores with a header on Monday night and had also found the back of the net at St James’ Park.
“He gets into the box really well. He is always dangerous on set-pieces - and even in open play when he reaches those areas. He is an important player for us,” Nuno said of Yates after the hosts’ cup win.
Forest predicted XI to face Manchester City: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
How should Forest line up against City? Click HERE to have your say