FA Cup: Manchester City Should Go All Out Against Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City

Manchester City have one last opportunity to win some silverware this year, but Nottingham Forest stand in their way in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday. This fixture is not a two-legged tie (unlike in the previous rounds), so both teams must bring their A-game when they visit the hallowed Wembley Stadium.

The Sky Blues have built some momentum heading into this contest, going undefeated in their six league games (W4, D2). Manchester City are coming off a morale-boosting 2-1 win against Aston Villa last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s recent results are slightly more mixed than Manchester City’s. After going on a two-game losing streak earlier this month, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men secured a timely 2-1 win against Tottenham last Tuesday.

​The winner of this semi-final tie will face the winner between Crystal Palace and Aston Villa. 

 

Talking Points

Wood will play inspired at Nottingham Forest

Chris Wood has appeared in Nottingham Forest’s last two games against Everton and Tottenham after missing the previous three due to a hamstring knock he sustained during the March international break. After failing to score in their one-goal loss against Everton, Wood returned to the scoresheet in the team’s 2-1 win against Spurs last time out.

Wood now has 19 league goals and three assists this season, and he’ll be highly motivated to play against Manchester City because his wife recently gave birth to their daughter. Nottingham Forest supporters hope the “new dad energy” will rub off on Wood this weekend.

Nuno Espirito Santo will likely have his men play on the back foot against Manchester City in a potential smash-and-grab, and they have the personnel who could pull it off. Besides Wood, Nottingham Forest also have Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi who could create havoc on the wings, with Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson providing support.

Meanwhile, the team hopes to have Ola Aina (calf) return to the line-up against the Premier League defending champions. Neco Williams should get another start at right-back if Aina doesn’t make it this weekend.

 

What will Manchester City’s midfield look like?

Manchester City have been deploying Kevin De Bruyne as their No. 9, and it has been working. In their most recent home victory against Aston Villa, De Bruyne was the team’s lone striker, with Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, James McAtee, and Omar Marmoush behind him, and Mateo Kovacic operating in a single pivot role.

However, Pep Guardiola may want to mix things up against Nottingham Forest. He can bring back De Bruyne to his usual No. 10 role with Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic in a double pivot, with Nico Gonzalez – who took the night off against the Villans – as another midfield option. Phil Foden, Savinho, and Jack Grealish can also help with their attack, though they are not in their best form.

 

History

Nottingham Forest won 1-0 against Manchester City a few weeks ago at City Ground, as Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the match-winner in the 83rd minute. If Nottingham Forest win again on Sunday, it’ll be the first time they’ve beaten the Sky Blues twice in a single campaign since 1989-90.

Manchester City have lost four of their last five FA Cup meetings with Nottingham Forest (W1), most recently a 1-0 home defeat in the third round in 2008-09.

Nottingham Forest will make their first FA Cup semi-final appearance since 1990-91 under Brian Clough, when they won 4-0 against West Ham United before eventually losing to Tottenham in the final.

Meanwhile, Manchester City have qualified for their seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-finals (W3, L3). They have advanced to the final in the past two years, winning the trophy in 2023 and losing in 2024 – both against Manchester United.

 

Betting Tip

The FA Cup 2025 odds expect Manchester City to advance to the final. The Sky Blues are 1.77 favourites to win, while Nottingham Forest are 4.13 underdogs, and a draw after 90 minutes is at 3.41 in the 1X2 market. SBOTOP football fans can expect their share of FA Cup 2025 highlights from this contest, but not too many.

Besides our recommended bet, bettors can also go for Total Goal 2-3 at 1.99, though don’t be surprised if this turns out to be a low-scoring affair, making other options like Under 2.50 at 2.00 and Under 2.75 at 1.77 worth considering. Meanwhile, a Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Nottingham Forest – the result of their most recent encounter – could yield a 12.50 payday.

   

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