- City have won 3 and lost 1 of their 4 away games in Premier League 2026/2027 (W3, D0, L1). Forest have conceded just 3 goals in 4 home games in Premier League 2026/2027 but have drawn 1 and lost 3. City have won 3 and lost 2 of their last 5 games, which includes 11 goals in their last 5.
Forest need Forest to be in full bloom
Nottingham Forest have some exciting attacking players, such as Morgan Gibbs-White (2 assists in 5 Premier League 2026/2027 appearances), Dan Ndoye (1 goal in 5 appearances) and Brennan Johnson, but Oliver Glasner's team are best suited to a more pragmatic, direct style - they will compact, battle for the second balls and deliver the ball wide quickly.
It may be a good thing for Forest that City have played with more pace and more pressing in their game under Enzo Maresca, whose side have kept a positional backbone while adding more pace and aggressive pressing triggers.
That is the main reason City's matches have been a little more up-and-down than before, but they still have the quality to put Forest away if they can click in front of goal.
City are the clear benchmark
Forest sit 19th in the Premier League 2026/2027 standings with six points from nine games, so the pressure is building at the City Ground since Glasner took charge on 6th July 2026.
Their most recent results have been a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town in the Premier League 2026/2027, a home defeat, and a 2-0 loss away at Brentford. So things are heading in the wrong direction and they may need Ndoye to be on fire on Saturday to give the hosts a chance.
City are in the driving seat with 21 points from their opening nine games and are the only team that can really be judged on their recent Premier League 2026/2027 form.
City should be able to come through
City have won three and lost one of their four away games in Premier League 2026/2027 and seem to be getting their defensive structure right on the road - conceding only three goals in four games so far. Forest have won none, drawn one and lost four of their last five games in all competitions.
They have lost their last two home games and it is hard to envisage the Reds getting much joy in front of their own fans on Saturday. So City look the best option at 1.66, although the 4.65 about Forest and 3.95 about the draw are also far too low.
Forest have averaged 1.0 goal scored in their last 5 head-to-heads at the City Ground while City have averaged 1.0 goal scored as visitors in the head-to-heads, so the hosts could stay in it if they can be resilient in a low-block style.
Backing Both Teams To Score at 1.57 would be a better move than taking City in the outright markets because this game could get slippery as the last head-to-head finished 2-2 at the Etihad in Premier League 2025/2026.
City have won 1 and drawn 1 of the last 2 head-to-heads, so Forest are still seeking a win in recent times. City's Erling Haaland has scored five in five Premier League 2026/2027 games and Phil Foden has four in their last five. So it is City's firepower that should win this one over 90 minutes, even if Forest can make it a game.
