They will fancy their chances of doing so against a Nottingham Forest side who were beaten 1-0 by Fulham on Monday night. Pep Guardiola’s men made it six straight league victories at the weekend, as they eased past West Ham by a 3-0 scoreline.

The Citizens were in flow state at the Etihad, as they racked up 17 shots and eight big chances worth 2.1 xG. Erling Haaland bagged himself a brace to take his tally to 25 goals across all competitions for the season, with 19 of those scored in the Premier League.

That result keeps them within touching distance of Arsenal, just two points behind the Gunners. Mikel Arteta’s men haven’t quite been at their best in recent weeks, and were fortunate to scrape a win against Everton last time out. It’s an ideal time for Man City to capitalise here, and they are going to be a tough side to beat.

The City Ground hasn’t been the easiest place to visit this season, as Sean Dyche has restored Forests’ reputation of being a difficult site to face in Nottingham. They have lost just one of their six matches under the new manager at home, during which over 1.5 goals has landed in every game. 

Man City have also had no issues finding the back of the net on their travels, and they have scored ten goals in their three away games alone. In their last away outing at Selhurst Park, Man City pulled off a 3-0 win courtesy of another Erling Haaland brace, while Phil Foden also chipped in with a goal. 

The Citizens beat Real Madrid 2-0 at the Bernabeu before that, forcing six saves from Thibaut Courtois, highlighting their threat in the final third even against the elite sides.

Man City have taken nine points from their last three away games, but haven’t quite been so watertight at the back, conceding a total of five goals across those matches. Although that has come from 4.5 xG, Man City have actually allowed their opponents to register more efforts than them in all three of those games. 

However, it is worth noting how the vast majority of those shots tend to be speculative, from outside the box. Based on that, Elliot Anderson becomes a target here. He is averaging 1.56 shots per 90 at the City Ground this season, and has landed this bet in eight of his ten starts in all competitions. 

Eight of his 17 Premier League efforts have come from outside the box, while the Englishman will also be a candidate to take penalties, after converting one against Leeds earlier in the season.

Morgan Gibbs-White was kept relatively quiet against Fulham on Monday night, but he did still manage to land this selection with two shots before being substituted after 73 minutes. 

The Forest skipper has hit this mark in all ten appearances at the City Ground this season, during which he is averaging 3.0 shots per 90. Gibbs-White has four goals to his name this season, and all four have come on home turf, highlighting how he plays with an extra confidence in front of a home crowd. 

Man City present a tough matchup for him here, but Gibbs-White did land this bet against the Citizens in both home matches last season. He registered three shots at the City Ground in the FA Cup sem-final against Pep Guardiola’s men, before repeating that feat with four attempts in the Premier League meeting.

Man City rank rock bottom of the league for total fouls committed this season, highlighting how they have generally been able to contain sides well. However, they have picked up 28 yellow cards from 17 Premier League matches - ranking much higher at 14th in the division. 

A high percentage of Man City’s cards tend to be from cynical fouls, meaning they have accrued a fair few cards. Nico O’Reilly is responsible for just two of those, but the fullback is averaging 1.47 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, so has been fortunate in that regard. 

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are drawing an average of 2.33 cards per game in the Premier League this season, proving themselves to be a difficult side to contain. In fact, over their last two away outings, Fulham and Everton combined to rack up nine yellow cards between them.

After completing a £30 million move from Lyon over the summer, Rayan Cherki established himself in the starting eleven for Man City, and has been a revelation going forward. The 22-year-old has been seriously impressive in recent weeks, registering one goal and four assists in his last seven appearances alone. 

Cherki already has four goals and seven assists as a Man City player despite only playing 835 minutes across all competitions - he is averaging a goal involvement every 77 minutes this season. Considering he had 12 goals and 20 assists for Lyon last season, he clearly has the potential to excel at the top level, and has been able to hit peak form under Pep Guardiola. 

His creativity has been the difference-maker for Man City in recent weeks, and he will once again hope to provide for Erling Haaland. While he failed to record a goal involvement against West Ham last time out, he did still manage to create three big chances.

Man City dominated proceedings against West Ham last weekend, keeping 66% possession at the Etihad. Even still, Nico Gonzalez picked up the only yellow card for Man City, committing two fouls in total, before being replaced after 67 minutes. The Spaniard is averaging 1.65 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, which is the highest in the City squad, and he has landed this bet in six of his last seven starts across all competitions. 

His average rises steeply to 2.48 fouls per 90 when playing away, highlighting how Gonzalez has a lot more defensive work to get through. The 23-year-old has hit this mark in seven of his ten away games when playing at least 30 minutes. He should find duels against Elliot Anderson in the middle of the park - the Englishman has drawn the second-most fouls of any player in the Premier League this season, making this an excellent matchup to target Gonzalez.