Nottingham Forest have been buoyed by the excitement of their FA Cup win as they recover from Monday night’s efforts, gearing up for another crucial match—this time in the Premier League.
The Reds required extra time and penalties to defeat Ipswich Town in their fifth-round tie at the City Ground earlier this week. Matz Sels’ penalty save from Jack Taylor secured Nuno’s side a spot in the quarter-finals, where they will face Brighton and Hove Albion later this month.
Before that, third-placed Forest have important league matches ahead as they aim to maintain their strong position in the table. And it doesn’t get much bigger than Saturday’s home clash with Manchester City (12:30 pm kick-off).
Pep Guardiola’s team sits just one place and one point below Forest in the standings. While it hasn’t been their best season, they still managed a 3-0 victory over Forest at the Etihad in December.
City played their FA Cup match against Plymouth Argyle last Saturday, winning 3-1 in 90 minutes. Forest, on the other hand, had to endure 120 minutes before progressing through a shootout after a 1-1 draw.
“It’s not easy to go into extra time at this stage of the season, but winning helps with recovery,” Nuno said after the game. “The players will recover faster now.”
Nuno selected a relatively strong starting XI against Ipswich, stronger than in previous FA Cup rounds. Six changes were made following the 0-0 draw with Arsenal last Wednesday, with Nikola Milenkovic being the only regular starter omitted from the squad.
Key players Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, and Neco Williams were all named as substitutes. They ended up playing pivotal roles as Forest called on their key players.
Ideally, Nuno would have preferred the quartet to remain on the bench, or at least play fewer minutes. All four are likely to return to the starting lineup for the weekend match.
In the league, the majority of the team is already decided. Few of the players from Monday night’s match did enough to earn a spot in the starting XI, with Ryan Yates and Ibrahim Sangare being the exceptions.
The main question now is who will start in central midfield against City. Anderson is certain to feature, but there’s still a debate over who will partner him in the middle.
The key Nottingham Forest decision facing Nuno ahead of huge Man City clash
