Those were the words of PepGuardiola in his pre-match press conference on the last day of February and this fixture has to be one of the biggest finals between now and the end of May in pursuit of a top-4 (5) finish – a very tough away game at season-surprise-package, Nottingham Forest.
Dare I say…a 6-pointer?
And speaking of the words, “every game”; every game we seem to pick up ANOTHER new, flippin’ injury… 🙄😡
v Nottingham Forest
City Ground
Predicted line-up, subs and outcome:
(Number correct from the starting line-up in the last game: 7/11).
A very fluid 4-1-4-1 / 4-5-1 / 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3:
____________________Haaland____________________
Savinho____________________________________Doku
__________De Bruyne____________________________
______________________________Silva_____________
____________________Gonzalez___________________
Gvardiol___________________________________Lewis
____________Dias_______________Khusanov________
____________________Ederson____________________
**Subs:**Ortega, Reis,Simpson-Pusey, Kovacic, Gundogan, Nunes, Foden, Grealish and Marmoush.
Ederson back in goal for this league game.
I could be wrong with the defence but with SO few defenders fit I could only be wrong by one, I would have thought. I’m going with Josko, Ruben, Abdukodir and Rico to make up our back line. Alternatively, he could stick Khusanov on the right, put Reis in the middle and leave Lewis on bench.
Nico is the deepest-lying midfielder.
Having had a full week’s rest, why wouldn’t Kev and Bernardo be able to start this one? That’s what I’m guessing and it would see Silva in his far-more-effective, central midfield role. Either side of those I think we’ll see Savinho and Jeremy on whatever flank Pep decides.
Erling up front.
Stefen steps back to the bench as keeper cover following domestic cup action; Reis and Jahmai are two back-up defenders on the side. Both are 19-years of age. Mateo, Ilkay, Matheus and Phil are four midfielders in ‘the 9’; Jack gives us an alternative left-sided look while Omar is a change of striker option who can also operate both deeper and wider.
Notableabsences:
-John Stones– Out with a thigh injury for 6-½ to 8-½ weeks, going off the initial assessment and information given.
-Manuel Akanji– Possibly out for the rest of the season after badly damaging his abductor muscle, for which he had surgery on 15th February. Best case scenario is that he could be back around the end of April / beginning of May.
-Nathan Ake– Recovering from a fractured foot, for which he has had surgery. This one sounds like it could be a season-ending injury.
-Rodri– Back training alone and spending time in and around the squad otherwise, with some suggestions that we might see the 28-year-old midfielder back playing before the end of the season; with Pep himself saying that the return of Rodders to light training is a huge boost for everyone at the club.Steady at it goes but… 👍😃
-James McAtee– I’m suggesting that James won’t be selected as he makes way for extra defensive cover on the bench.🤷 ♂️ Someone has to if we are to have enough defensive insurance on the side and I suppose having Matheus Nunes in the matchday squad instead of James McAtee gives us a player who at least has some experience of covering at right-wing back, should that be needed.
-Oscar Bobb– Had been struggling with niggles, mainly in the ankle and metatarsal areas, as he made his long comeback from a fractured leg that he suffered last August. However, I watched a recent training video on theclub’s official website just yesterday and he appeared to be in full flow along with his teammates. Unless he suffers another setback, I don’t think it’ll be too much longer before we see the Norwegian international winger included in matchday squads.
Do I agree with Pep’s (predicted) line-up?
If De Bruyne has the legs to give us 45 to 60-minutes of creativity then Silva and Gonzalez should bring enough graft and steel to combat a hardworking Forest midfield. So yeah, I’m happy with that predicted 11.
Result?
This is a tough one for sure but while Forest have been a surprise to many; are a hardworking, very organised team who have beaten many-a-side to earn their 3rd-place standing, they have lost 7 league games (just 1 less than us), have conceded 33 in 27 (just 4 less than our injury-ravaged defence) and have scored 9 less goals than we have.
I think this one is going to be all about fitness / energy levels, patience and a determined mindset. If we get all of that right on the day – and I believe we will – we can come away with all-3 points.
I’m actually going for a City win.
Last season’s, corresponding pre-match prediction and result:
Prediction: Win
Result: Won
(Pre-match blog posting from that game)
Expected weather conditions during the game :Absolutely GLORIOUS winter’s day! Yes, folks, we are still in the astronomical winter until 20th March – it’s just that the weather forecasters and presenters use the meteorological date of 1st March to denote spring when giving information to the public 🎓🤓. 16C (61F) and wall-to-wall sunshine sounds fantastic for 8th March! 🍦 Bit of an easterly breeze but in the sunshine it should feel quite pleasant indeed for the 12:30pm (GMT) KO.😎🍺⚽
Solidarity