Manchester City vs Nott’ Forest

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A legendary figure from Manchester City's history is set to try and extend the period of misery for Manchester United this Saturday evening. Vincent Kompany's Burnley team will host the Red Devils at Turf Moor in the Premier League.

In their previous outing, Burnley managed to secure a point in a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest. Meanwhile, Erik ten Hag's Manchester United squad endured a 4-3 loss to Bayern Munich in a thrilling Champions League encounter.

Lyle Foster, Burnley's striker, is eager to put behind him the unfortunate incidents that transpired during Monday's match at the City Ground. He had a late goal disallowed due to a controversial handball call and was subsequently shown a straight red card for elbowing Ryan Yates just moments before the final whistle.

Before Foster's nightmarish moments, Burnley had taken the lead against Forest thanks to a well-executed strike by Zeki Amdouni. However, Callum Hudson-Odoi, a recent addition to the Nottingham Forest roster, outshone the Clarets' attacker with a spectacular curling effort, earning his team a valuable point.

This allowed Steve Cooper's squad to exact a measure of revenge for their earlier EFL Cup defeat to Burnley in the second round, a match in which Amdouni once again found the back of the net at the City Ground. This 1-0 victory remains Burnley's sole win of the 2023-24 season to date.

Monday's draw did provide Burnley with their first Premier League point of the season after three unsuccessful attempts, which included heavy defeats to Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur. They have temporarily lifted themselves from the bottom of the league table.

However, it's worth noting that only Luton Town, without a point to their name, have performed worse than Kompany's team in the Premier League. Burnley has now suffered five consecutive defeats in Premier League home matches since April 2022, conceding at least two goals in each of those games.

For Manchester United, their recent performance in the Champions League against Bayern Munich was marked by several unwanted records being either equaled or broken. Despite scoring three goals at the Allianz Arena, they couldn't prevent a defeat. Casemiro scored twice, and Rasmus Hojlund netted his first goal for the club. However, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and former transfer target Harry Kane had already breached Erik ten Hag's defense before Casemiro's first goal.

Casemiro scored again after Mathys Tel added a fourth goal for Bayern, but the final whistle blew just as he headed in Bruno Fernandes's free kick. A disjointed and depleted Manchester United side suffered their third consecutive defeat following 3-1 losses to Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion.

While off-field concerns continue to plague Manchester United, their on-field performances have also left much to be desired. Ten Hag, who is reportedly facing challenges in maintaining control of the dressing room, urged his players to "look in the mirror" following another defensive calamity in Munich.

As they approach Saturday's match, Manchester United are among four Premier League teams that have yet to secure an away point this season, with four losses in their last five top-flight away games. However, a five-game unbeaten streak against their upcoming opponents might offer a glimmer of hope for their traveling supporters.

Manchester City are heavy favourites to keep their unbeaten start to the season going against Nottingham Forest, with the Opta Supercomputer predicting them an 80.8% likelihood of success.
Man City could become the second team in Premier League history to begin a championship defense with six straight wins, following Chelsea in 2005-06. That season, the Blues retained the trophy.

This season, Julián lvarez has generated 16 opportunities in the Premier League. Kevin De Bruyne (19) was the last City player to create more at this point in a season.

Forest, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw with Burnley at the City Ground on Monday, but seven points from five games is a good start for Steve Cooper's side, especially with travels to Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United already completed.

Indeed, Forest will start Saturday's game eighth in the Premier League table, their highest position before a Premier League encounter since September 1998, when they were seventh ahead of a 2-1 loss to Chelsea. However, they have never won a Premier League game against a side that started the day on top, drawing three and losing five.

Forest trailed Burnley when Callum Hudson-Odoi equalized with a stunning looping shot from outside the box, becoming the first Forest player to score on his Premier League debut since Geoff Thomas against Arsenal in August 1998.

Taiwo Awoniyi, who has a goal involvement in nine consecutive Premier League games despite never playing 90 minutes (nine goals, two assists), set up Hudson-Odoi's strike. After Mohamed Salah, who had a 15-game stretch in 2021 and is presently on another 11-game streak, the Nigerian might become only the second African player to score or assist in 10 consecutive Premier League matches.

Forest will look to provide a threat on the break with Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga completing a threatening front four and Divock Origi providing support from the bench. Willy Boly and Serge Aurier were also absent from practice on Monday but could return.

Since a 3-2 second-tier setback at Maine Road in December 1997, City have gone unbeaten in their last six league matches (four victories, two draws).

Forest will be making his third trip to the Etihad. They won 3-0 in an FA Cup tie in January 2009, but were hammered 6-0 in this match last August, with Haaland scoring a hat-trick in the first half.

Manchester City is currently enjoying a successful start to their season, with two 3-1 comeback victories over West Ham and Crvena Zvezda in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, respectively. They are aiming to achieve six successive wins at the beginning of a Premier League campaign, a feat they previously accomplished in Pep Guardiola's debut season in 2016-17. If they win against Nottingham Forest, they will become only the second reigning champions to achieve this, following Chelsea in the 2005-06 season. Chelsea went on to retain their title that season after winning their opening nine league games.

Despite falling behind in the match against West Ham, Manchester City showed the resilience of champions, with goals from Jérémy Doku, Bernardo Silva, and Erling Haaland helping them secure the victory. They created numerous scoring opportunities, attempting 29 shots with a combined expected goals (xG) value of 3.63. Erling Haaland alone had nine shots, contributing 2.56 xG to their efforts.

Julián Álvarez has been a key contributor for Manchester City, recording two assists in the Premier League and scoring twice in the recent match against Crvena Zvezda. He has created 16 chances in the Premier League this season, making him second only to Wolves' Pedro Neto, who has created 17 chances. The last City player to create more chances in the first five games of a campaign was Kevin De Bruyne, who managed 19 in the 2019-20 season.

However, Manchester City has faced injury issues, with Kevin De Bruyne a long-term absentee after undergoing hamstring surgery. Bernardo Silva also limped off in the recent match against Crvena Zvezda. Jack Grealish is not expected to return for the upcoming game against Nottingham Forest, but Mateo Kovacic is nearing fitness, and Matheus Nunes could be given his first league start for the club.