Nottingham Forest host Manchester City at The City Ground on Saturday, November 7, in a Premier League match between sides with contrasting starts to the season. Forest are 19th with six points from nine matches, while second-placed City have 21 points. The visitors have lost their last two league games, but Forest’s difficulty scoring at home gives City an opportunity to return to winning ways. Recent results suggest a contest in which the hosts will need to work hard for chances, even if they can keep the score close.

Nottingham Forest’s Recent Form and Key Stats

Forest arrive after a 2-0 defeat at Brentford on October 31. They have gone five matches without a win, recording one draw and four losses while averaging just 0.4 goals scored per game across that stretch. Their Premier League record stands at one win, three draws and five defeats, with a season average of 0.7 goals scored and 1.3 conceded per match.

Their home record presents the biggest concern ahead of Manchester City’s visit. Forest have yet to score a home goal in this league campaign and have failed to score in their last five competitive fixtures at The City Ground. They have lost four of those five matches, although they have conceded only five goals across them. That combination has allowed Forest to stay relatively close in games without giving them enough at the other end to turn home advantage into a win.

There are signs that the opening stages could be tight: Forest’s last 10 home matches have featured under 1.5 first-half goals, and they have been level at half-time in seven of their last eight home games. In the Premier League specifically, 11 of their last 13 home matches have been drawn at the interval. Forest have also seen four scoreless games among their last 13 league home fixtures. Those figures underline how important a first goal could be for a side struggling to create a breakthrough on its own ground.

Dan Ndoye has scored twice from 20 shots, while Liam Delap has one Premier League goal despite taking 24 shots this season. Elliott Anderson has drawn 28 fouls while committing 13, and his ability to carry play forward could matter when Forest have opportunities to attack. Nicolas Dominguez, Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona are sidelined for the hosts.

Manchester City’s Recent Form and Key Stats

Manchester City travel to Nottingham after a 3-2 UEFA Champions League win over RB Leipzig on November 4. That result followed three matches without a victory in regulation time, including consecutive Premier League defeats: 2-1 at Aston Villa and 1-0 against Brighton. City had opened their league campaign with seven straight wins, so the recent setback has interrupted an otherwise strong domestic record of seven victories and two losses.

Across their last five matches, City have two wins, one draw and two defeats, averaging 2.2 goals scored and 1.6 conceded. Their Premier League averages are also 2.2 goals scored and 1.1 conceded per game. The attacking numbers offer a clear contrast with Forest’s, although the defeat to Brighton shows that City cannot assume they will find a goal in every league fixture.

The visitors’ scoring record away from home is particularly relevant here. City have scored at least once in each of their last 12 Premier League away matches and in 23 of their last 24 league games overall. Their last 10 away fixtures have all contained at least one second-half goal, so even a quiet opening period would not necessarily leave the match short of a later decisive moment.

Haaland has nine Premier League goals this season and has taken 34 shots, 16 of them on target. He has scored five times in eight matches against Forest, though he has not found the net in the last three meetings. His record gives City a proven source of goals, but that recent head-to-head run is a reminder that Forest have previously kept him off the scoresheet.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City Match Analysis

The clearest contrast is between Forest’s home scoring drought and City’s sustained away scoring streak. Forest have defended well enough at The City Ground to keep several games within reach, but five consecutive competitive home matches without a goal leave little margin for error against visitors averaging more than two goals per Premier League game.

City’s back-to-back league losses give Forest some reason to believe they can frustrate the visitors. The hosts’ frequent half-time draws also point to the possibility of a close first half. Yet City have repeatedly found goals away from home, and their midweek win at RB Leipzig provides a response to the defeats against Aston Villa and Brighton. Forest, by contrast, have taken only one draw from their last five matches.

The most recent meeting finished 2-2 on March 4, 2026, so Forest have shown they can score against City in this fixture. Across the five head-to-head matches in the supplied record, however, Forest have one win, one draw and three defeats, averaging 0.8 goals scored and 1.8 conceded. City therefore have the stronger record both in the wider matchup and in this season’s league campaign.

A tight opening remains plausible, particularly given Forest’s first-half home trends. Over the full match, City’s scoring consistency and Forest’s lack of home goals make the visitors better placed to secure a result, even if their recent Premier League defeats make an outright win less certain.

Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City prediction from BetMines: Draw or Manchester City (X2) with 78% probability.