Manchester City vs Nottingham prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2022-08-30 18:30.
While Manchester City found themselves 2-0 behind inside 21 minutes of a Premier League (PL) game for the first time since 2010 against Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine battled back to win 4-2 to maintain their unbeaten start to the season (W3, D1). Alarmingly for City, giving two-goal leads to the opposition seems to be a theme at the moment having done so in four of their last six PL outings, although they didn’t lose any of those games (W2, D2).
That’s testament to the great qualities of this side and means the Cityzens are in line for yet another record should they beat Nottingham Forest here. Currently with 20 consecutive PL wins on a Wednesday, another victory would see Guardiola’s side equal the PL record for most consecutive wins on a specific day of the week! One win in six PL meetings against Forest (D3, L2) raises some doubts over their credentials, though the last H2H meeting in the English top-flight was back in 1995!
It’s been an average return to the top flight for Forest, with their 0-2 defeat on Sunday to Spurs leaving them with just four points this season (W1, D1, L2). They’ll now rub shoulders with one of English football’s elite (1998/99), last doing so when Manchester City were playing in the third tier! The fortunes of both clubs have drastically changed since, with Forest themselves plunging into the third tier as recently as 2008/09, though the Tricky Trees still have something City don’t to this day – a European Cup!
With Forest having lost their last six PL games against reigning champions by an aggregate score of 23-3, you would be forgiven for thinking that score could look drastically worse come Wednesday night. However, Forest can lean on a 73-game run of having conceded no more than twice in away league games, heightening belief they could be competitive here.
Key battle: City’s Erling Haaland has a personal record in sight, knowing another hat-trick would see him onto nine goals and become the first outright top scorer after a player's first five games in PL history. Forest keeper Dean Henderson may have something to say about that, especially from the penalty spot, having only conceded from just one of the five penalties he has faced in the PL.
Hot stat: There’s been at least one first-half goal in ten-straight Manchester City games in the PL.