Key events
City in line to sign Semenyo
Manchester City: Although nothing has been officially agreed between the two clubs, Manchester City are in pole position to sign Antoine Semenyo in January after Chelsea cooled their interest in the Bournemouth winger. Jacob Steinberg reports…
Match officials of the day
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Arbitrator: Rob Jones
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Assistants: Neil Davies and Nick Greenhalgh
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Fourth official:Gavin Ward
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OUR:Andy Madley
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VAR Assistant:And Robathan
These teams: Nicolas Dominguez replaces Douglas Luiz as Forest’s only change from the team that lined up against Fulham last time out, while the same 11 players who started for City in their win over West Ham have all passed their Boxing Day weigh-ins and been picked to battle again.
Nottingham Forest vs Man City line-ups
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Williams, Murillo, Milkenkovic, Savona, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Hutchinson, Igor Jesus
Submarines: Hades, Holder, You Aggregate, Luma, Luma, Current, McAs, Bird, Psin, Pin
Manchester City: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly, Nico, Bernardo, Reijnders, Foden, Cherki, Haaland
Submarines: Trafford, Ake, Rodri, Savinho, Khusanov, McAidoo, Mukasa, Lewis, R. Heskey
John Robertson remembers
Nottingham Forest: A player who was adored by Forest fans and who made Nottingham his permanent home, expects a reverential tribute to be paid to the late John Robertson at the City Ground before kick-off this afternoon. Genuine tears of sorrow will be shed as Forest supporters bid farewell to one of their greatest players of all time, whose death at the age of 72 was reported on Christmas Day.
A key member of the Forest squad, Brian Clough has risen from the second tier to the pinnacle of European football. This incredibly talented Scottish winger may not have looked much like an elite athlete, but he was instrumental in helping Forest win two European Cups and represent his country 28 times.
Paying tribute to Robertson’s exceptional service to the club, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis said he had recommended that the Bridgford Stand at the City Ground be renamed The John Robertson Stand in Robbo’s honor and “in lasting recognition of his extraordinary contribution to our club, so that his legacy – and our great hero – will be forever remembered”.
First news from the team
Chris Wood remains sidelined for Forest but is back frolicking on the grass as he recovers from the knee injury which has kept him sidelined since mid-October. Ola Aina is also out, while Dan Doye and Ryan Yates faced late fitness tests. Ibrahim Sangaré and Willy Boly are both in Morocco to represent Ivory Coast at the CAN.
Manchester City are without Rayan Ait Nouri (Algeria) and Omar Marmoush (Egypt), both present at the AFCON, while Jeremy Doku is expected to miss today with an ankle injury. John Stones, Oscar Bobb, Rodri and Mateo Kovacic are also unavailable.
Premier League: Nottingham Forest v Man City
Good morning. It’s the holiday season, which means two things: we don’t know what day it is and we play a lot of football. Manchester City arrive in Nottingham like a relentless blue superthing that has finally shifted into fifth gear. Having spent yesterday weighing his players like precious metals in a bid to gleefully seize on any evidence of excessive indulgence on Christmas Day, Pep Guardiola is aiming for an eighth consecutive victory. With Erling Haaland back to his best and Rayan Cherki pulling the strings like a puppeteer, City know victory will push them above Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, at least for a few hours.
Standing in their way are Nottingham Forest, who hover uncomfortably above the trapdoor in 17th place but have won six of their last nine in all competitions and emerged victorious in this match last season. In Sean Dyche, they have a head coach who considers 30% possession and a decisive goal to be the highest form of art. Will it be an after-Christmas stroll for the visitors, or will Dychey be happy to spoil Pep’s festivities? Kick-off is at 12:30 (GMT) and we’ll have team news and preparations in the meantime.
