Nottingham Forest host Manchester City in Saturday’s early Premier League kickoff in what could prove to be a significant game in the race for the UEFA Champions League places.
One place and one point separate these teams ahead of this weekend’s round of matches, with Nuno Espirito Santo’s high-flying Forest in third in the standings and still on the coat-tails of Arsenal in second.
City might be enduring a deeply disappointing season by their recent standards, but Pep Guardiola is still on track to secure Champions League qualification for next season ahead of an anticipated squad rebuild in the summer.
The Sporting News will provide live score updates and highlights from the match below.
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City live score
| 1st Half | Goal scorers | |
| Nott. Forest | 0 | — |
| Man City | 0 | — |
Starting lineups:
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1, right to left): 26. Matz Sels (GK) — 34. Ola Aina, 31. Nikola Milenkovic, 5. Murillo, 7. Neco Williams — 16. Nicolas Dominguez, 8. Elliott Anderson — 21. Anthony Elanga, 10. Morgan Gibbs-White, 14. Callum Hudson-Odoi — 11. Chris Wood
Man City (4-2-3-1, right to left): 31. Ederson (GK) — 27. Matheus Nunes, 45. Abdukodir Khusanov, 3. Ruben Dias, 24. Josko Gvardiol — 14. Nico Gonzalez, 20. Bernardo Silva — 26. Savinho, 7. Phil Foden, 11. Jeremy Doku — 9. Erling Haaland
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City kick off time
This match kicks off at The City Ground, Nottingham on Saturday, March 3 at 12:30 p.m. local time.
Here is how that time translates across some of the major territories:
| Date | Kickoff time | |
| USA | Sat, March 8 | 7:30 a.m. ET |
| Canada | Sat, March 8 | 7:30 a.m. ET |
| UK | Sat, March 8 | 12:30 p.m. GMT |
| Australia | Sat, March 8 | 11:30 p.m. AEDT |
| India | Sat, March 8 | 6:00 p.m. IST |
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City lineups, team news
Nuno Espirito Santo’s main injury issue is with Carlos Miguel, who has a hamstring problem. Otherwise, his squad looks in a strong position. It’s therefore not a surprise to see him name the same starting XI as the one from the 0-0 draw with Arsenal.
The reverse fixture ended in a 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium back in December, but Forest will believe they can produce something better on home turf even after being taken all the way to penalties in the cup by Ipswich Town on Monday.
Nottingham starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Sels (GK) — Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams — Dominguez, Anderson — Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi — Wood
Nottingham Forest subs: Hennessey, Morato, Sangare, Awoniyi, Moreno, Jota, Yates, Boly
MORE: Kevin De Bruyne makes big call on Man City contract
With Nathan Ake out after undergoing surgery on a foot fracture, and John Stones and Manuel Akanji also sidelined, Abdukodir Khusanov comes in to partner Ruben Dias at the heart of defence.
Erling Haaland is fit to start after coming off the bench last time out, while Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku also come back in.
Phil Foden looks to be the No. 10, with Omar Marmoush among the substitutes along with Kevin De Bruyne.
Man City starting lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Ederson (GK) — Nunes, Khusanov, Dias, Gvardiol — Silva, Nico — Savinho, Foden, Doku — Haaland
Man City subs: Ortega, Marmoush, Kovacic, Grealish, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Reis, O’Reilly, Lewis
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City stats, head to head
These teams have a long history of competitive fixtures dating all the way back to 1899, when Forest won 2-0 in the old First Division.
City lead the all-time head to head, having won 44 of their meetings.
| Nottingham Forest wins | Draws | Man City wins |
| 33 | 28 | 44 |
| Biggest win: 4-0 (1958, 1980) |
Biggest win: 6-0 (2022) |
Nottingham Forest vs. Man City live stream, TV channel
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | USA Network, Universo | Fubo, NBC site/app, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Universo NOW |
| Canada | Fubo | |
| UK | TNT Sports 1 | discovery+ |
| Australia | Optus Sport | |
| India | Star Sports Select 1 | Disney+ Hotstar, JioCinema |
