Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team News | FA Cup

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Preview

• Tournament: FA Cup
• Date: Sunday, 27 April 2025
• Kick-Off Time: 15:30 PM GMT
• Venue: Wembley Stadium, London

The second FA Cup final will see Premier League top-five rivals Manchester City and Nottingham Forest fight to take a step closer in their hopes of winning the prestigious competition. The Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City clash takes place on Sunday, 27 April 2025 at 15:30 PM GMT.

Nottingham Forest's form has slightly slipped up in recent weeks, causing them to lose two of their last five competitive matches and also fall to 4th place in the Premier League with 60 points from 33 games. They have showcased impressive resolve in the FA Cup, winning their last two games on a penalty shootout!

Nuno Espirito Santo will have to inspire his side to produce something special to outwit the Cityzens. They need to produce their best defensive display yet, needing to be sturdy and mistake-free at the back. Moreover, Forest will need to be sharp in the counter-attacks and prolific in taking up their opportunities to trouble Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's side have picked up their form by winning four of their last five competitive matches. They're currently in third place in the league with 61 points from 34 games, but they'll look to produce their best in the FA Cup semi-final, knowing it's the only trophy they can win this season.

The Cityzens will need to be decisive in taking up their opportunities and be faultless with their possession-heavy, crisp passing football. Guardiola needs to get his side to be at their ruthless best in putting away opportunities as they cannot afford to be wasteful. However, they also need to be sturdy and error-free defensively, knowing any mistake could cause their elimination from the FA Cup.

Nottingham Forest Team News

Nottingham Forest are still sweating on the fitness of their full-back Ola Aina, who has missed the last few games with a calf injury. He will need to pass a late fitness test for this game. Jota Silva is another major doubt because of an injury issue. Eric Moreira is out of action with an ankle injury.

Manchester City Team News

For Pep Guardiola's side, two of their biggest assets in Erling Haaland (ankle) and Rodri (knee), are still out of action. They could return towards the end of the campaign. Nathan Ake (ankle), John Stones (thigh), and Ederson (groin) are also likely to miss this game.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Predicted Lineups

Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Matz Sels

Defenders: Neco Williams, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, Alex Moreno

Midfielders: Ryan Yates, Nicolas Dominguez, Morgan Gibbs-White

Forwards: Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Chris Wood

Manchester City Predicted Lineup (4-1-4-1):

Goalkeeper: Stefan Ortega

Defenders: Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol

Midfielders: Nicolas Gonzalez, Matteo Kovacic, Kevin de Bruyne

Forwards: Bernardo Silva, Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Head-to-Head

These two sides have met each other on 106 occasions in their history. Out of that, Manchester City have won 44 games and Nottingham Forest have come out on top on 34 occasions. In their last five meetings, Manchester City have won three times and Nottingham Forest have only won once.

Key Players to Watch in Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)

Chris Wood has been enjoying his best season for Nottingham Forest and has silenced many doubters with his heroics. The 33-year-old has brilliantly outperformed his 11.11 xG (expected goals) with 19 goals in the 2024/25 Premier League. He's yet to score in the FA Cup for his side, but there's no bigger game to do so.

Wood can be a troublesome figure on the frontline because of his physicality and tendency to win key duels. He'll look to use that harassing ability to disrupt the Manchester City backline, but will have to try hard to get at the end of chances and put them away clinically to raise his side's chances of getting a win.

Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)

Kevin de Bruyne is set to play his last FA Cup semifinal for Manchester City and aims to make it a special one. The Belgian playmaker has managed a decent 5.67 xA (expected assists) and overperformed that with seven assists in the Premier League this season. He has a goal in the FA Cup this season, but he aims to bring his very best to Wembley.
De Bruyne will look to control his side's attacking patterns by getting into the empty areas and slipping clever passes through for his forwards to pounce on. He'll look to be accurate with his final passes, but also sneak his way to goal-scoring positions to give that added edge to his side's attacking line.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Prediction

These two sides are currently one apiece when it comes to defeating each other this season. Manchester City's form has picked up at the right moment, and their excellent record in cup semifinals should give them the edge here.

Nottingham Forest won't make it easy for the Cityzens, as they should defend strongly and also get quite a few scoring chances. However, the experience in the Manchester City squad of winning such games should help get the result over the line for them.

Predicted Score: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City

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