Man City vs Nottingham Forest Odds
| Man City Odds | -600 |
| Nottingham Forest Odds | +1200 |
| Draw | +750 |
| Over / Under | 2.5 -225 / +175 |
Manchester City will seek to maintain their perfect start when they host Nottingham Forrest in Premier League match day 6 on Saturday morning in the Etihad.
A win for the Cityzens on Saturday would make them the second team to start a title defense with six consecutive wins. The only other team to do so was Chelsea during the 2005-06 season, where they went on to repeat.
Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, have faired well in the first month and half of the season. They currently sit eighth on the table with seven points.
Here is my breakdown of the Man City vs Nottingham odds, and my picks for the Premier League match on Saturday.
Man City
It's very early, but it already looks to be Manchester City's title to lose. Off a treble winning season, manager Pep Guardiola has already overcome summer departures and early-season injuries to the roster.
They have a like-for-like replacement for Riyad Mahrez with Belgium winger Jeremy Doku, who was the most dangerous player on the field and found the back of the net on his debut. They replaced Ilkay Gundogan with Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes, who could see his first league start this weekend. And Julien Álvarez's increased role this season has been a phenomenal filler for the injured Kevin De Bruyne.
It is not just the newcomers who are stepping up this season, though. Their prize possession, Erling Haaland, has picked up right where he left off. The potential Ballon d'Or winner has already netted a league-high seven goals. His goals are not lucky, either, as his xG is on par with 7.2.
As mesmerizing as Man City are offensively and Haaland's knack of finding the back of the net every game, their defense is the backbone of this team's success. They are on pace to lead the league on lowest goals conceded for the fourth straight season, having only allowed three goals in their first five matches.
Moreover, City's dominance on both sides of the ball only gets boosted within Etihad Stadium. They have won all 12 of their league games in front of their fans in 2023.
Nottingham Forest
Forest should be happy with their start to the 2023-24 season. Their eigth-place standing is the highest they have sat in the Premier League table in over two decades. And they have accomplished it while having already played Arsenal, Man United and Chelsea.
However, in what should have been one of their easier matches to date against Burnley this past Monday, they barely pulled out a 1-1 draw, thanks to a magical Callum Hudson-Odoi strike.
Callum Hudson-Odoi's first goal for Nottingham Forest was a thing of beauty ☄️
(via @NBCSportsSoccer) pic.twitter.com/1ddL6mZPcS
— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 18, 2023
For a team that has scored in every league match this season, Forest put up a disappointing 0.71 xG against a Burnley team that conceded 3+ goals in every game leading up to the match. They now have to go into the most challenging game in all of professional soccer — Man City on the road — where they will not be able to get away with lackadaisical play.
Manager Steve Cooper plays a defensive style that could frustrate the City, however. The Trees are not worried about possession, as they average the second-fewest possession in the league at 35.4% a game. They box it in defensively and force you to beat them from a distance or a set piece. Forest have allowed only three goals from open play this season, which is second-fewest behind Man City, who have allowed two.
Man City vs Nottingham Forest
Pick & Prediction
Man City are as dominant as a team can come, but as we have seen a few times already this season, they will go into a match too relaxed and be forced to overcome an early deficit.
While City have shown they can flip the switch when needed to pull out wins, Nottingham Forest are a team that can stick around and are willing to sit back and defend a whole match with the hope of scoring off a counter.
So, while City should have no issues taking all three points on Saturday, Nottingham Forest should be able to stay within reach. Back the Trees on the spread.
For a player prop in this match, look for Rodri to get at least one shot on target. He has hit this in three of the five league games this season and is second on the team for shots on target behind Haaland.
Moreover, his average shot distance is 20.4 yards. Forest have the longest average shot distance against in the league at 18.9 yards, so if the Trees are able to keep things congested within the box, look for Rodri to take his chance from distance a couple of times this weekend.
