Oliver Glasner has promised changes after the defeat at Brentford, and the visit of Man City on Saturday is the first chance to see how far he is willing to go.
Nottingham Forest host City at the City Ground at 5.30pm in their last game before the international break. They are 19th, five games without a win, and have failed to score in five of their nine league matches this season.
Glasner told his players after the 2-0 loss in west London that they either buy in to what he wants or move on. On Thursday he was calmer, but no softer. “It’s no compromises, I would say, in everything I believe in, what I believe is necessary to be successful,” he said. Here is how we think he lines up.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Man City
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Man City (3-4-2-1): Sels; Cunha, Diomande, Murillo; Munoz, McAtee, Yates, Williams; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White; Delap
Matz Sels: no debate in goal
Sels was beaten twice at Brentford by the ball coming off a teammate, and neither goal was really on him. He stays.
Jair Cunha: steady enough to keep his place
Cunha did little wrong at the Gtech Community Stadium and came close to the opener from a Neco Williams corner. He keeps the right side of the back three.
Ousmane Diomande: the change at centre-back
Nikola Milenkovic has had a rough week or so. A costly mistake against Ipswich Town was followed by the own goal at Brentford, and he was all over the place after it. If Glasner wants to show that nobody is safe, this is the obvious place to start, and Diomande, an unused substitute last weekend, is ready.
Murillo: stays on the left of the three
Murillo should have stopped the cross that led to the first Brentford goal, but there is no natural replacement on that side. We expect him to keep his place.
Daniel Munoz: back from the foot problem
Glasner said Munoz missed out on a start at Brentford because of a minor foot issue, but that he looks OK and has trained this week. He came on for Ola Aina at half-time and gave Forest an outlet, so he returns at right wing-back.
James McAtee: Forest’s best player this season
The former City midfielder was Forest’s standout performer again last weekend. He completed 56 of his 72 passes and had 96 touches, both team or match highs, and Glasner singled out his 60-yard sprint back to clear a ball in the 89th minute. He has to start against his old club.
Ryan Yates: the energy Glasner wants
Xaver Schlager was hooked at the break for being too slow on the ball, and Yates came on for his first outing of the season. He should have scored with a header soon after, but Glasner has complained that Forest are out-run by opponents, and Yates gives him legs in the middle.
Neco Williams: no option but to start
Williams scored the early goal in the 1-1 draw with Ipswich and put in a good cross at Brentford. His effort is never in question, and he keeps the left wing-back role.
Callum Hudson-Odoi: the change in attack
Dan Ndoye was largely ineffective at Brentford and Glasner revealed he was ill for a day this week. Hudson-Odoi, who scored in Forest’s 1-0 home win over City in March 2025, gets the nod in his place.
Morgan Gibbs-White: still the key man
Gibbs-White was not at his best last weekend, but he set up Yates’ big chance and Forest’s attack still runs through him. He plays behind the striker again.
Liam Delap: one more chance up front
This is the closest call. The former City youngster is without a goal in his last five starts, and Chris Wood is still waiting for his first start of the season. We think Glasner sticks with Delap for one more game, with Wood and Arnaud Kalimuendo, who made an instant impact off the bench at Brentford, ready to come on.
Who is missing for Forest?
Nicolas Dominguez is the big blow. The Argentine had hoped to be fit for Saturday after missing two games with a muscle problem, but he suffered a re-injury and will be out for up to eight weeks.
There is better news on Igor Jesus. The Brazilian has been out with a calf problem since the last international break, and Glasner said: “Igor also trained the full week so far. He looks good, no reaction.” We have him on the bench rather than in the XI, given he has two more weeks to build up afterwards.
Nicolo Savona joined team training after seven months out following knee surgery, and Glasner hopes he will get minutes in a friendly during the break. He will not be involved this weekend.
What it means for City
A Forest side with a point to prove and two ex-City players in the middle and up front is not the easy trip the table suggests. They had 58.5% of the ball at Brentford and still lost, so the problem has been finishing, not control.
For Man City, the lesson is to take their chances early. We have set out how we expect Maresca’s side to line up, and Erling Haaland has already asked his teammates to step up after the win in Leipzig. Elliot Anderson, meanwhile, goes back to his former club in the form of his City career.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Man City (3-4-2-1): Sels; Cunha, Diomande, Murillo; Munoz, McAtee, Yates, Williams; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White; Delap
