Man City can end annoying habit against Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest are much more dangerous at home, where they have a very good record. But they are still a side that are expected to be in a relegation dogfight up to the final weeks of the season.

What has been particularly galling in recent Manchester City defeats has been how the team have bucked the trend of the opposition side they have lost to. Southampton had a wretched record under Nathan Jones aside from their remarkable Carabao Cup quarter-final win over the Blues, while Spurs went and conceded four at Leicester the week after beating them.

City have won their last nine matches against newly-promoted sides - including a 6-0 hammering of Forest in the return fixture - and must be winning games like this if they want to win the league.

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The pressure is now on Arsenal following City's surge, and with both sides level on points every weekend will have the feel of a shootout. Arsenal go to Unai Emery's Aston Villa in the lunchtime kick-off and City will be well aware of the result before they start at Forest.

An Arsenal win would reinforce Guardiola's message of the need to treat their rivals as serious contenders for the title, but more dropped points would give City further incentive to continue their recent form.

City fly to Germany on Tuesday as the Champions League returns with a last-16 game at the in-form Leipzig. The Blues will once again be expected to go deep in the competition, so Guardiola will once again have to juggle his selections.

It will be interesting to see how strong he goes at Forest with Leipzig in mind.

Haaland scored a hat-trick inside 40 minutes when Forest came to the Etihad, and looks back to his best. When he