Pundit and former midfielder Paul Merson thinks Nottingham Forest will suffer a heavy defeat to Manchester City tomorrow (Saturday).
Forest host Pep Guardiola's side at the City Ground for a 3pm kick-off, with the visitors looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table after leapfrogging Arsenal in midweek.
Steve Cooper will be without defenders Scott McKenna and Willy Boly, who have both been ruled out with long-term injuries. Despite that, Merson believes Man City will still need to put a strong side out this weekend. He has backed City to win 3-0.
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"Manchester City might rest a few players in the Premier League because of next week's Champions League match, but Nottingham Forest are a decent team at home," Merson wrote in his predictions column for Sportskeeda. "This is a game where City need to stamp their authority. They can rest their players when they face teams like Bayern Munich later on in the season. They need to play a strong team here.
"Jack Grealish scored a brilliant goal yesterday, and he's now occupying positions that he wasn't getting into last season. When he joined the club, he wasn't getting to the far post. He's now in there, and it's paid off. This is what happens at Man City - as soon as their players get what the manager wants, they score loads of goals.
"Nottingham Forest will sit back and defend, and they've got pace on the counter with Brennan Johnson. I think Man City will tire Forest out in the end, and I don't see how they don't win this game."
What is your score prediction for the game? Let us know in the comments.
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