Nottingham Forest face Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley this weekend, with the Reds set to embark on another clash under the arch of the national stadium.
Forest have negotiated games with Luton, Exeter, Ipswich and Brighton to get to this stage and although Manchester City will provide formidable opposition, there is all to play for on Sunday.
Nuno Espirito Santo has done brilliantly in charge of Forest this season. He’s achieved great things already and there really is nothing to lose for the Reds this weekend at Wembley.
Forest have not been this far in the FA Cup since the 1990/91 campaign when the team defeated West Ham in the semi-final before getting controversially turned over by Tottenham in the final.
Chris Sutton predicts winner of Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City
Both teams go into this game knowing that they can beat the other this season, with City winning at the Etihad Stadium in December and Forest winning 1-0 when the two outfits met in March.
Sutton is a boyhood Forest fan – so he claims – and he’s decided who he thinks will win this one, with City likely to be the favourites given their pedigree in this competition in the past.
He told BBC Sport: “That does not make this tie any easier to call, though.
“Forest bounced back from a couple of defeats with a win over Tottenham on Monday, which was a huge result for their top-five hopes, and we know the way they are set up to counter-attack can cause City problems.
“I am not just saying this because Forest were my boyhood team, but I want anyone but City to win the FA Cup this season.
“I’ve got nothing against City but it would be a great story if any of the other three teams won it because they have either not won anything for so long or, in Palace’s case, they have never won a major trophy at all.
“Despite that, I just have a feeling that City are going to put in a good performance here, and earn the right to reach their third straight FA Cup final.
“As much I hate to say it, I am expecting Pep to find a way to win, the same way they did against Everton and Aston Villa – although I hope I am wrong. My predictions are so bad at the moment, there is a good chance I will be.”
Forest have nothing to lose vs Manchester City
With Neco Williams and Ryan Yates both banned for this one, it feels like it will be hard to navigate a victory, with full-back options in short supply.
One thing Forest will do, however, is have a go and ultimately, that is all that the fans will ask as they embark on a trip to London that was unexpected at the start of the season.
The Reds know they can beat City and that should at least help the team’s confidence levels with the game set to be an exciting one amidst some mediocre form by City this season.
Espirito Santo will naturally prepare his team well and hopefully the Reds can spring an upset in the capital and claim a second successive win in London this week.
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