Nottingham Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo insists Manchester City remain a top-quality side despite their poor run of form heading into Wednesday's Premier League contest. (More Football News)
City have gone se💯ven games without a win in al🌱l competitions – the longest-such streak in Pep Guardiola's managerial career – with six of those ending in defeat.
Sunday's 2-0 loss at leaders Liverpool leaves the reigning champions fifth and now 🧔11 points adrift of the Reds, but Nuno is looking beyond this poor run of form before facing🉐 off at the Etihad Stadium.
"It's the reality of the game – you 💟always have ups and downs," Nuno said. "Every team has to be ready to face those moments of uncertainty when things are not going well.
"It's how long you stay there and how you bounce back from those moments; how you reorganise and improve. Their run doesn't take away 💖the quality and the talent they have.
"Let's not forget, they're the cha🍃mpions and have won so much with such quality players and such a good manager. When you have such quality players an🐬d play such good football, for sure they'll turn it around."
City are only one point and one place better off than Forest, who put back-to-back defeats against Aꦺrsenal and Newcastle United behind them with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town at the weekend𓆏.
Guardiola, who has won 18 trophies across his eight full seasons as Cit🌸y boss, is determined to battle on having only just signed a new two-year contract.
"I've l꧟ived better before than now," he said. "But I'm incredibly honest with myself and, when we were winning a lot, my perspective was I was fo🍌rtunate to live that.
"Now I'm not depressed that everything is going bad. When I think🌌 I cannot do it we will talk with the club but I feel that I want to do it and life is ♊not in all departments perfect."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Manchester City - Erling Haaland
Haaland has failed to score in back-to-back Premier League games for City, although he does still have 15 goals in his past 11 games🌳 at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions🔯.
Tﷺhe leading Premier League top scorer this season, who has 12 goals in 13 matches overall, has also netted four times in two games on home soil against Forest.
Nottingham Forest - Chris Wood
Wood scored the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win ove♏r Ipswich vi♏a the penalty spot and also has 12 goals in his past 13 away Premier League away games for Forest.
The New Zealand international is looking to become the first Reds player to score in four successive away games in the competition, and the first in the English top flight for the club since Garry Birtles in 1983-8🧔4.
MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN
City have concededꦰ three-plus goals in both of their past two home games in all competitions, which they last managed in 1963 when going on to be relegated from the 𒉰top flight.
Guardiola's men may be in poor form, but they are unbeaten in their past eight league games against Forest stretching back to a 3-2 loss in the second tier 🦂in December 1997.
Forest have also lost their past four away league games against City by an aggregate scoreline of♛ 12-0, while they are winless in their past seven top-flight visits since 1989.
The Reds have lost their past five away ga▨mes against reigning top-flight champions by an aggregate scoreline of 21-2, meanwhile, since beating Manchester City 2-1 in December 1994.
If the omens were not already stacked against Forest, opponents 🌺City are unbeaten in their past 31 home Premier League games on a Wednesday, winning each of the past 20.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Manchester City win - 66.8%
Nottingham Forest win - 14.8%
Draw - 18.4%
