The Stats Zone
February 17 2023, 14:28 · Alex Lawes

What will Man City's starting line-up be against Nottingham Forest?

What will Man City's starting line-up be against Nottingham Forest?

Click here for today’s sports betting tips from our expert analysts!

Predicting a Pep Guardiola line-up, whether at Bayern Munich in the past but especially at Manchester City, seems to be an impossible task. Especially with this match falling in between massive midweek clashes, the first being a 3-1 win at Arsenal to return to the top-of-the-table and then this week’s first-leg against RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League Last 16.

The one position that is for certain is goalkeeper so Ederson will definitely start. The rest is, genuinely, up for grabs and/or debate. Guardiola has preferred a 3-2-4-1 system in the last couple of months with Nathan Ake playing a hybrid left-back and left-centre-back role and Kyle Walker doing the same on the right-hand side.

Ruben Dias returned to the starting line-up for their victory against Arsenal but could be rotated, given his injuries throughout the season. Manuel Akanji and Aymeric Laporte are options for the middle centre-back role, given the fact that John Stones remains out injured.

Rico Lewis could replace Walker on the right-hand side of the back three but the ‘Lancashire Lahm’ has most recently been deployed in the two in front of the defence, allowing for the Bury-born academy graduate to be able to slot in at left or right back. Bernardo Silva played that role alongside Rodri the other day but, again, Silva could well be rotated out in order to be fresh for their trip to Leipzig.

Rodri is probably the only player in the City squad where there is a major dip in quality to the understudy with Kalvin Phillips, due to injuries and a lack of game time, struggling to adapt to Guardiola’s style of football just yet. Given that, Rodri should continue on in his midfield role alongside one of Silva or Lewis.

Another man that could play in the double pivot is Ilkay Gundogan but the German international has been performing well in a more advanced role alongside Kevin De Bruyne, behind Erling Braut Haaland. It seems likely those three players will continue.

Riyad Mahrez was taking off with half an hour to go at the Emirates Stadium which could be an indication that the Algerian winger starts at the City Ground. Jack Grealish, on the other hand, is in some excellent form and may well be saved for their UEFA Champions League tie in midweek. Alternatives to Grealish on the left-hand side of the attack include Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden, with both attackers currently out of favour.

There is a chance that Guardiola switches back to a more simple 4-3-3 system with Laporte coming in alongside one of Dias or Akanji at centre-back, allowing two of Lewis, Walker and Ake to be selected at full-back with Guardiola likely to consider the game against Leipzig more significant, in terms of importance and quality of opposition.

PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Ake; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Grealish

UNAVAILABLE: Stones (Injured)

QUESTIONABLE: