Aina’s Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City: Preview, team news, h2h, lineups & predictions

Super Eagles defender Ola Aina is in the Nottingham Forest squad for the visit of Manchester City to the City Ground on Saturday, November 7, 2026, with kickoff at 6:30pm Nigerian time.

City arrive second in the table with Erling Haaland leading the league scoring charts, but they lost successive league games to Aston Villa and Brighton before winning 3-2 at RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.

They will, however, be looking to return to winning ways in the league before heading off for the international break.

Match Radar: Forest Host City at the City Ground

⚽ NOTTINGHAM FOREST vs MANCHESTER CITY
Competition	Premier League, Matchday 10
Kickoff	Saturday, November 7, 2026, 6:30pm (Nigerian time)
Venue	The City Ground, Nottingham
League Position	Forest 19th (6 points), City 2nd (21 points)
🇳🇬 Super Eagles defender Ola Aina is in Forest’s squad for the last league game before the November international break.

Form and Context: Forest’s Goal Drought Meets City’s Wobble

Forest sit 19th with six points from nine games and one win, and they have lost four of their last five league matches.

They lost 1-3 at Crystal Palace on October 11 and 0-1 at home to Arsenal a week later, drew 1-1 at Ipswich Town on October 23, then lost 0-2 at Brentford on October 31.

Across those five league games Forest scored two goals and conceded eight, and they have not found the net in four league games at the City Ground.

Their finishing looks worse than their chance creation, with six league goals from an expected-goals figure of 14.34. Oliver Glasner, appointed in the summer, told his squad after the Brentford defeat that they must buy in to his changes or leave.

City have 21 points from nine games and sit second, three behind Arsenal. They won their first seven league games, then lost 1-2 at Aston Villa on October 24 and 0-1 at home to Brighton on October 31.

Away from the Etihad they have won three of four league games, scoring nine and conceding three, and Haaland has five of those goals.

Enzo Haaland scored the 78th-minute winner at Leipzig on Wednesday, and City now have three days to recover before the trip to Nottingham.

Head-to-Head: Forest vs City Recent Meetings

City have won three of the last five league meetings, with Forest taking one win and one draw. The most recent was a 2-2 draw at the Etihad on March 4, 2026, and City won 2-1 at the City Ground on December 27, 2025.

Forest’s only win in that run was 1-0 at home in March 2025, which is too old to be a guide to this fixture. Over 108 meetings in all competitions City lead with 46 wins to Forest’s 33, with 29 draws.

Neither Glasner nor Maresca managed their current club in any of the last five league meetings, so the record says little about this pairing.

Team News and Predicted XI: Will Aina Start for Forest?

Forest are without midfielder Nicolás Domínguez, who is out for up to eight weeks after a setback in training, and defender Nicolò Savona (knee) has only just returned to training.

Striker Igor Jesus (calf) is back in training and in contention, but Liam Delap is expected to lead the line, and Neco Williams keeps his place at left wing-back.

Aina started at Brentford on October 31, but Muñoz appears favoured to replace him due to some issues, so Glasner would be making one change.

City are missing only forward Antoine Semenyo (knee), and Dias and Gvardiol, who were on the bench at Leipzig, are expected to return in defence.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST	MANCHESTER CITY
Nicolò Savona (knee): out Nicolás Domínguez (training setback): out Igor Jesus (calf): doubt	Antoine Semenyo (knee): out

Star Player Comparison: Haaland vs Gibbs-White

Haaland has scored nine league goals in nine games, the highest total in the division, while Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White has one goal and two assists this season.

Gibbs-White drives Forest’s attacks from the number ten position, so Elliot Anderson, who left Forest for City in the summer, and his midfield partner must contain him.

Morgan Gibbs-White Attacking midfielder · Nottingham Forest	Stat	Erling Haaland Striker · Manchester City
1	League goals	9
8	Appearances	9
0.13	Goals per game	1.00

The Managers: Glasner Under Pressure, Maresca After Guardiola

Glasner took charge at Forest in the summer. He has one league win from nine games and has publicly challenged his players to accept his changes or go.

Looking ahead to tomorrow. 💪 ➡️ https://t.co/QiyH1BeZOT https://t.co/HWJFe7j3P2

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) November 6, 2026

Maresca is in his first season replacing Pep Guardiola at City, and he says Semenyo will be out for around eight weeks.

The match is the last before the November international break, so the result will stay with both clubs for two weeks.

Tactical Preview: How Forest Can Frustrate Manchester City

Forest are expected to play a 3-4-2-1, with Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye behind Liam Delap, and the wing-backs decide whether they defend with five or break with three.

Their home record gives them a platform, because they have conceded only three goals in four league games at the City Ground.

City are expected to play a 4-2-3-1, with Haaland ahead of Rayan Cherki and Jérémy Doku.

Eight of City’s nine away league goals have come after half time, so Forest’s discipline in the final 45 minutes matters more than the opening spell.

Forest’s best route is Gibbs-White and Ndoye running into the space behind City’s full-backs when they push forward.

The Naija Slip: Banker, Value Play and Free Punt

These tips are analytical opinions rather than guarantees, so stake only what you can afford to lose.

Our Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Prediction and Score

City have the better away record, the sharper attack and a striker in form, while Forest have lost four of their last five league games.

🔮 Nottingham Forest 0 – 2 Manchester City

City’s away scoring and Haaland’s finishing should outweigh a Forest attack that has managed two goals in five league games. Likely scorers: Haaland and Cherki.