Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Betting Preview

Quinn Allen
By: Quinn Allen
07 Mar 25
Soccer

Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Betting Preview

After a week off due to FA Cup play, the Premier League continues this weekend with matchday 28. The race for the top four continues to be fierce and Saturday’s clash between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City is an important one for both sides. The kick-off is scheduled for 7:30 AM ET at the City Ground. Forest is currently in third and settled for a draw with Arsenal in their last EPL game. As for the Cityzens, they’re one point behind Forest and won their last league fixture against Tottenham.

Highlights

  • Nottingham Forest will host Manchester City on Saturday, March 8
  • The visitors are a heavy favorite
  • Continue reading for the match preview

H2H history

While Nottingham Forest has improved immensely this term, we have to remember they only came up to the top flight again a few seasons ago. With that being said, Man City has dominated them in recent memory, winning four of the last five Premier League meetings. Forest managed to secure a draw in the only game during that span where the Cityzens didn’t come out victorious.

Can Forest produce the goods?

It’s been a remarkable season for Forest, who have surprised everyone across England. They’ve gone 14-6-7 this term and have every opportunity to play Champions League football next season for the first time in their history. The Tricky Trees have bagged 44 goals in 27 games while conceding just 33, showing incredible consistency on both ends of the pitch.

However, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are in a bit of a rut as of late in league action, going winless in their last three games. Forest lost back-to-back games to Fulham and Newcastle before the draw at home against Arsenal where no goals were scored. On a more positive note, Forest did advance in the FA cup earlier this week, beating Ipswich Town in penalties.

The leading man up top for the Garibaldis has been Chris Wood, scoring an impressive 18 goals at 33 years old. Morgan Gibbs-White also has five goals and five assists, while several others including Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Elliot Anderson have contributed as well. City has had issues at the back this season and Wood in particular will be looking to exploit them on Saturday, where the hosts are a heavy underdog at soccer sportsbooks.

Man City focused on top four pursuit

It’s hard to believe that a club like Man City has no trophies left to play for in 2024-25, but that’s the sad reality. Pep Guardiola’s squad is already out of the title race and was also knocked out of the Champions League in the play-offs stage by holders Real Madrid. Securing a berth in next year’s UCL competition is the only priority.

City’s form has improved in the last month, but they’re still not as consistent as they’d like to be. The Sky Blues suffered a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool in late February before securing a 1-0 win vs Spurs. City then progressed in the FA Cup last weekend. The reigning champs have a 14-5-8 record but have struggled immensely away from the Etihad with five losses. That isn’t great news ahead of Saturday’s encounter.

With just five points separating Bournemouth in seventh and Forest in eighth, every single game matters right now. City has 47 points and must keep their foot on the gas pedal, with Chelsea and Newcastle breathing down their necks. Considering their track record of success against Forest, the visitors will be feeling confident here. But, they also cannot take the Garibaldis for granted. The Sky Blues sit as a -110 favorite at Sports Interaction.

Quinn Allen is a seasoned sports journalist from Vancouver, Canada. Quinn is a full-time senior editor for ClutchPoints where he specializes in baseball, soccer, basketball, and football. Quinn has been working in the industry for five years and brings a unique outlook to sports journalism, having played high-level soccer and baseball growing up. Quinn resides in Kelowna, Canada, and enjoys playing soccer and going to the gym.