Haaland Leads Predicted City XI for Forest Visit

City head to the City Ground after back-to-back league losses against Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion cost them the top spot. Another loss could leave them six points behind Arsenal before the international break. A 3–2 Champions League win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday offered a lift ahead of the trip.

Erling Haaland is expected to lead the attack. The Premier League’s leading scorer has gone four matches without a goal against Forest, while he has scored in each of City’s away games this season.

The predicted XI has Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, with Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Marc Guéhi and Joško Gvardiol in defense. Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernández are tipped to start in midfield, behind Iliman Ndiaye, Rayan Cherki and Jérémy Doku.

Nunes made an error in the Brighton defeat, while Donnarumma’s mistake against Leipzig added to scrutiny of the goalkeeper. City have not kept a clean sheet in seven matches. Forest, meanwhile, are described as the league’s lowest scorers and have yet to score at home.

Ndiaye has impressed in recent league defeats and could retain his place with Antoine Semenyo injured. Gvardiol may come in at left-back, with Nico O’Reilly expected to get a chance to recover from recent injury problems. The predicted changes follow City’s midweek win, with manager Enzo Maresca seeking a response in the league.