Forest vs Man City Team News: Injury Updates and Line-up Uncertainty

Football fans are pretty eager for the Premier League clash on December 27, 2025. Nottingham Forest will host title-chasing Manchester City at the City Ground. But there’s a problem for those of us trying to get ahead. Nobody really knows who’s going to start. Seriously, no verified predicted starting line-ups for this Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City match are out there yet from any of the big names like ESPN or Sky Sports. It’s all a big mystery right now.

The Line-up Limbo for Both Sides

It’s pretty frustrating for supporters and fantasy football managers. Most of what’s floating around online for this game is just YouTube predictions from fan channels. Or even some gaming simulations, like from FC 26, which isn’t exactly official news. You know? So, basically, we’re all just guessing. Official club sites or the Premier League haven’t released anything as of December 26, 2025. You’ll just have to keep checking back closer to kickoff time, apparently.

Nottingham Forest, currently 18th in recent form, they’re really fighting against relegation this season. They’ve been pretty consistent with their formation, mostly playing a 4-2-3-1 setup, like in 13 out of 15 games recently. Sean Dyche is their manager.

And he’s got some players he usually relies on. Guys like Neco Williams, Murillo, and Morgan Gibbs-White often feature. Taiwo Awoniyi is another name often mentioned in predicted line-ups, though he was noted as definitely missing their earlier December 14th game against Tottenham. And that’s according to Soccertonic.com’s predictions.

Also, players like Angus Gunn, Ola Aina, Ryan Yates, and Chris Wood were definitely out for Forest’s earlier match against Tottenham. Dilane Bakwa was also out for their November 9th game against Leeds, so he might still be sidelined.

City’s Injury Concerns and Title Hopes

Manchester City, on the other hand, they’re chasing the title. They just had a good 3-0 win against West Ham. That puts them two points behind current leaders Arsenal. So, every game matters a lot for them. Pep Guardiola’s boys are in good form, winning 10 of their last 15 games, with just one draw and four losses. They’ve also got a solid goal difference, scoring 35 and letting in only 16.

But City isn’t without its problems, especially with injuries. John Stones is out with a thigh injury. And Jérémy Doku, he’s unavailable too, dealing with a calf issue. That’s what ESPN reported in December 2025. Rodri, their midfield general, he’s “much better” from a hamstring injury. But he’s still being assessed, so his presence isn’t a sure thing. Pep Guardiola has also been talking about players’ discipline after Christmas. You know, making sure everyone’s focused for this intense period.

Some unconfirmed predictions for City’s starting XI, which you can find in various fan videos, include names like Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol. There’s even a mention of Jan-Luigi Donnarumma in goal, which is interesting. Bernardo Silva and Rico Lewis are also often named. Of course, this is all just speculation and not from any official club sources. Fan channels and gaming simulations are really driving these predictions.

What to Expect at City Ground

This match is a big one for both teams, just for totally different reasons. Forest needs every point they can get to escape the relegation zone. They’re sitting 18th, and every match is a battle. They even had a predicted win against Tottenham on December 14th at home, which shows they can put up a fight. City, though, they can’t afford to drop points if they want to catch Arsenal and lift that Premier League trophy again.

It’s going to be a tough ask for Forest. Manchester City is a pretty formidable opponent, even with a few injuries. But football, you know, it’s unpredictable. Especially around Christmas. We’ll all just have to wait for the official team sheets to drop closer to the 19:30 UTC kickoff to see how these teams will line up. Until then, it’s all just talk and hopeful guesses.