Two sides with contrasting ambitions lock horns in the Premier League this weekend as title-chasing Manchester City face off against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest.
Manchester City are second in the the Premier League table with 59 points from 28 games. With the gap to Arsenal currently at four points, City have the chance to reduce that gap to one point this week, with Arsenal having played one game more.
Pep Guardiola's men claimed a hard-fought three points away at Leeds United at the weekend in a 1-0 win, courtesy of a goal from Antoine Semenyo. The win means City have now won six games in a row, and have also won eight of their last nine. Many feel the Sky Blues are beginning to put together a surging late season run that has been characteristic of many of the club's league title wins under Pep Guardiola, but other argue there are still some fragilities to the team that were not necessarily as apparent in previous seasons.
They have, though, been reinvigorated by January signings Marc Guehi and Antonio Semenyo. Guehi has been a rock at the back, while Semenyo has five goals in his last ten games for the club, a return that is proving decisive in tight games.
City have a very good recent record against Nottingham Forest, winning five of the last six head-to-head meetings between the two, and have lost to Forest only once since the club were promoted back to the Premier League. City haven't lost at the Etihad in the league since August, so they'll be more than confident heading into this one.
Forest are hovering eerily above the relegation zone in the Premier League, only two points ahead of West Ham in 18th. Vitor Pereira's side have a very nervous final ten games ahead of them, and will need to pick up a few wins in order to survive.
They've lost their last three games in a row under Pereira, and have only one win in their last seven games in all competitions, which came in the Europa League. Four of their last six games have seen over 2.5 goals scored, but the feeling is that it might be the home side scoring the bulk of those.
It will take a monumental performance from the visitors to come away with a result here, and based on recent showings, that's not particularly likely.
Manchester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest
