Saturday morning features an important Top 4 matchup in the Premier League as Nottingham Forest welcomes Manchester City to The City Ground.
The Trees are having an outstanding season after fighting relegation last campaign and now must find a way to navigate a tough run-in to hold onto a Champions League spot.
The Citizens have fought their way back into one of those positions, and will hope to claim victory as they once again deal with injuries at the back.
My Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City soccer picks break down why the visitors should see multiple chances to attempt set pieces from the corner spot.
Premier League predictions for Nottingham Forest vs Man City
My best bet:
Manchester City Over 6.5 corners (+112 at TonyBet)
My analysis
After an amazing run of nine matches where Nottingham Forest won eight and drew just once, fatigue and fixture congestion have finally slowed them down. They managed a 1-1 draw last week in the FA Cup, needing penalties to survive at home against relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.
That result marked the fifth time in seven matches across all competitions in which the Trees have been unable to claim victory inside 90 minutes. It followed a scoreless draw at home with Arsenal and consecutive defeats at Newcastle and Fulham.
As Nottingham Forest has navigated a spell of tricky fixtures, they’ve been focusing more on defending as a unit and striking through the counter-attack.
And their performances against Arsenal this season, along with the reverse fixture against Manchester City, leads to our best bet as we back Manchester City to take at least seven corners.
The Citizens are coming off an FA Cup victory of their own, knocking Plymouth Argyle out with a 3-1 result to advance. But it wasn’t pretty, as City rotated heavily and needed an added threat off the bench to wear down the visitors after falling behind.
Manchester City also attempted 20 corners on the day as they created opportunities but saw them blocked or parried wide numerous times. It continued a pattern against teams who tended to sit lower or who were looking to secure a result.
They earned seven corners against Liverpool in a 2-0 defeat and seven more against Newcastle as they bunkered down in the second half.
Going back to the reverse fixture in December, Manchester City attempted eight corners against Forest. This was despite winning by a convincing 3-0 scoreline, scoring inside 10 minutes, and taking a two-goal advantage into the break.
The bulk of the corners came after halftime, showing their continued drive to push for additional goals.
Forest lead Manchester City by a single point in the table and could fall out of the Top 4 with a defeat and a Chelsea win. They’re desperate to earn Champions League football next season, and getting a result is of paramount importance.
I’m expecting Nuno to set his side up to absorb pressure and limit Manchester City’s pace out wide while forcing them to shoot from distance. I am projecting at least eight corners for Manchester City, so I’ll happily take a floor of seven at plus odds.
Nottingham Forest vs Man City same-game parlay (SGP)
Manchester City Over 6.5 Corners
Both Teams to Score: YES
Nottingham Forest Double-Chance
The Citizens have kept just one clean sheet in their travels in their last five across all competitions and just three in total since mid-October. Two of those came against bottom-dwelling sides Leicester and Ipswich, with the other coming against Spurs two weeks ago.
On the flip side, only Arsenal have kept the Trees off the scoresheet at home since the end of September. Manchester City are still vulnerable to teams that can hit them on the break, and Chris Wood is in fine form. It’s tough to see either team walking away without scoring at least once.
I have this match projected as a 1-1 final, and I think Manchester City are being a bit overvalued here. While they’re improving in form, they’ve also failed to get wins against quality sides in any competition.
The only outlier was a 4-0 thrashing of Newcastle at home, who played a very high line and allowed Man City to hurt them with pace. Forest will take advantage of them on the counter, play tight defense at the back, and walk away with a positive result.
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Nottingham Forest vs Man City odds
Nottingham Forest vs Man City live odds
Nottingham Forest vs Man City opening odds
- Moneyline: Nottingham Forest (+280) | Man City (-120)
- Draw: (+310)
- Over/Under: Over 3.5 (+115) | Under Under 3.5 (-160)
Nottingham Forest vs Man City side and Over/Under analysis
- Manchester City are the favorites on the 3-way money line, with odds of -112 to take all three points. The draw is set at +295, with a Nottingham Forest win at +300.
- Forest has lost four of the five meetings between the sides since returning to the Premier League in 2022 but did manage a 1-1 draw at home in 2023
- The total is sitting at a flat three goals, with the Overpriced at -107 and the Under at -110
- Only one of the last four meetings has seen 3+ goals. Manchester City’s last two matches in the league have gone Under, ending a run of six straight Overs, while five of Forest’s last six league matches have gone Over.
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Man City
| Location | The City Ground, Nottingham, UK |
| Date | Saturday, 3-8-2025 |
| Time | 7:30 a.m. ET |
| TV | USA |
| Weather | 58F, 7 mph winds, 20% PoP |
 Recent EPL form |
D-L-L-W-L |
 Recent EPL form |
W-L-W-L-W |
Nottingham Forest vs Man City key injuries
Nottingham Forest: Carlos Miguel GK (Out).
Man City: Rodri M (Out), Nathan Akie D (Out), John Stones D (Out), Manuel Akanji D (Out).
Not intended for use in MA.
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