Predicted Starting Line-Up: Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest (Premier League) | OneFootball

Manchester City will look to break out of their seven-game slump with a Premier League showdown against Nottingham Forest at the Etihad on Wednesday night.

The reigning Premier League champions have been in a rut since early November, last tasting victory in any competition back on October 26 in a narrow 1-0 win over strugglers Southampton in the top-flight courtesy of an Erling Haaland strike.

City have since failed to win in seven straight matches, losing six including a humiliating 0-4 home loss to Tottenham. Most recently, Guardiola’s men were on the losing side of a 2-0 score at Anfield, seeing the gap between them and league leaders Liverpool grow to 11 points.

However, after the defeat on Merseyside, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola revealed his belief that his side are ready to stop the slide and get back to winning ways. They will have a glorious chance to do so as Nottingham Forest visit the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

Let’s dig into how Pep Guardiola might set up his side as they look to rediscover their form and start a climb back up the Premier League table this week!

Predicted XI

Ederson should reclaim his starting role after taking a seat among the substitutes against Liverpool at the weekend, with the Brazil international no doubt remaining a crucial part of the build-up for Manchester City.

City’s treble success in the 2022/23 season was built on a solid defensive base that featured four centre-backs, and we could see a resumption of that set-up as Manuel Akanji will feature out on the right.

At the centre of Manchester City’s back-four, a pairing of Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake is arguably Pep Guardiola’s most defensively sound pairing, so rolling out that duo amidst a rearguard crisis would not necessarily be a bad idea.

While the Croatian international was benched for the trip to Anfield on Sunday afternoon, Josko Gvardiol is no doubt a key cog in the transition game on the left-flank and should regain his position in the starting line-up.

Midfield has been somewhat of a shambles for Manchester City as of late, due in large part to the lack of options. However, the addition of Matheus Nunes alongside Ilkay Gundogan should help with the lack of energy and legs.

Phil Foden is yet to replicate his stunning 2023/24 form for the Sky Blues so far this season, but the England international should continue to start through the middle until Kevin De Bruyne is deemed fit enough to start himself.

Savinho, like the aforementioned Foden, has been bright in patches throughout this season so far but just cannot seem to etch his name onto the scoresheet. The Brazilian should continue to play, and the dam should break eventually.

Of course, Erling Haaland will start through the middle for Manchester City. However, Pep Guardiola’s side have struggled mightily to find him in dangerous areas as of late and his goalscoring form has ground to a halt for the most part.

On the left of Manchester City’s attacking trio, Jack Grealish can be key in the squad’s search for stability. The 20-year-old’s somewhat veteran presence and ability to hold onto the ball and settle the side in possession could be vital.

Predicted XI: Ederson; Akanji, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Gundogan, Nunes, Foden; Savinho, Haaland, Grealish.

Substitutes: Oretga Moreno, Carson, Walker, Lewis, O’Reilly, Bernardo, De Bruyne, McAtee, Doku.