Nottingham Forest have a lot of football to play before the Wembley showdown with Manchester City comes onto the radar.
Attention will turn back to the Premier League on Tuesday when Manchester United come to the City Ground.
The Reds have won two games in succession in the Premier League, with Manchester City and Ipswich put to the sword by Forest.
It’s shaping up to be a very exciting end of the season for Forest, with an FA Cup semi-final to look forward to against City, who beat Bournemouth on Sunday.
Forest will naturally be looking forward to that game with City at Wembley, but in the short-term, it’s imperative that all eyes remain on the Premier League.
However, it’s come to light that Pep Guardiola has already made one key decision ahead of the FA Cup semi-final.
Photo by Robin Jones - AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
Pep Guardiola declares one Manchester City star will play vs Forest
Although there are four Premier League games before the FA Cup semi-final, Guardiola has confirmed one of his starters for the game with Forest.
His team came from behind to beat Bournemouth yesterday with Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush getting the goals.
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However, it was the introduction of Nico O’Reilly that really turned the game in City’s favour, with Guardiola now adamant he will play at Wembley.
He said his press conference: “He played really well – he has pace, is intelligent, has quality in the final third. Against Plymouth, he scored two goals; today, he made two. This is why he’s going to play against Forest.”
Forest must have game plan against City just like they did in the Premier League
Make no bones about it, City were the worst possible draw for anyone left in the draw.
However, Forest are a team who have beaten the Citizens this season, and that should give the team some confidence going into the game.
What the Reds have done so well during the current campaign is prepare well for every single team, and that needs to be the same for the Wembley showdown.
Guardiola has confirmed that O’Reilly will play but that might help Forest a little bit.
Espirito Santo won’t really care who City call upon and given the strength within their squad, it will be a tough match, whoever Guardiola picks.
Forest have very little to lose against City and it will be a fascinating match under the arch later this month.