Manchester City have won five of their last seven meetings with Nottingham Forest, including a 2-0 victory in April's FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
However, the Tricky Trees did claim victory from their most-recent encounter at the City Ground in March, their first home win over the Sky Blues for three decades.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City preview
Will Manchester City's winning streak continue? Last weekend, the Sky Blues swatted aside West Ham with a minimum of fuss; Erling Braut Håland bagging a brace, while Tijjani Reijnders was on target in-between. That made it five Premier League victories on the spin for Pep Guardiola's team, who've won ten of their last 12 overall.
All of this means the Citizens remain second, just two points below leaders Arsenal, looking to, at least temporarily, leapfrog them again with a win here. After this, Man City travel to Sunderland before hosting Chelsea next Sunday, so will they start a key week with a win on the banks of the River Trent?
Nottingham Forest meantime are seeking to get back to winning ways. On Monday night, the Garibaldi Reds were beaten 1-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage, in a match that won't live long in the memory. Sean Dyche's team thereby remain 17th, five points clear of the drop zone.
Since the November international break, the Tricky Trees have alternated between winning and losing, also beaten by Brighton and Everton but enjoying victories over Liverpool, Wolves and Spurs. Across all competitions, Dyche's side have won six of their last nine, so will certainly be no push-overs, but can Forest be the side to halt Manchester City's ominous form?
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 107.
- Nottingham Forest Wins: 34. Draws: 28. Manchester City Wins: 45.
Nottingham Forest team news
Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangaré are away with Côte d'Ivoire at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Sean Dyche is also without Ola Aina, Ryan Yates, Dan Ndoye and Chris Wood due to injury.
Interestingly, John Victor has started the last three matches in goal, keeping his place in-between the sticks at Fulham, despite the fact that fit again Matz Sels was on the bench in West London.
Nikola Milenković, Neco Williams and Morato would all miss Tuesday's clash with Everton if booked.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Manchester City: (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenković, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Douglas Luiz, Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus.
Nottingham Forest player to watch vs Manchester City
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the only goal when Nottingham Forest beat Man City in March, bagging a brace during their last home game against Spurs, so could he be the hero here too?
Manchester City team news
Rayan Aït-Nouri and Omar Marmoush are both away at AFCON, while Rodri, Mateo Kovačić and Jérémy Doku are all sidelined, hence why an unchanged lineup is forecasting from Pep Guardiola.
This will include Nico González at the base of midfield, with Rayan Cherki chosen over Savinho further forward. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nico and Bernardo Silva are all one yellow away from a ban.
Manchester City predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest: (4-1-4-1): Donnarumma; Nunes, Rúben Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Nico, Reijnders, Foden, Silva, Cherki; Håland.
Manchester City player to watch vs Nottingham Forest
Erling Braut Håland has scored two more Premier League goals than Nottingham Forest this season, while the Norwegian has bagged five in six against the side his father Alf-Inge made 87 appearance for.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City prediction
We are backing Manchester City to pick up three more important points in the title race even if Sean Dyhe's team will not make it easy for the visitors: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City.
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City FAQs - Premier League
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City in the Premier League on TV channel?
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City in the Premier League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1 & Ultimate.
- USA: fuboTV, NBC, Telemundo & Deportes En Vivo
- Canada: Fubo Sports Network Canada
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City in the Premier League on live streaming?
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City in the Premier League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: fuboTV, nbcsports.com, USA Network & Telemundo
- Canada: fuboTV Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City in the Premier League?
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City takes place on Saturday 27 December 2025, with kick off at 12:30 (GMT), 7:30 (ET) & 4:30 (PT).