Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest: prediction and stats
Premier LeagueRegular Season - 21Kick-off on January 16, 2027 at 03:00 PM (UTC)Etihad Stadium, Manchester
The Footlab model makes Manchester City the favourite at 60%, against 23% for a draw and 17% for Nottingham Forest. The most likely score is 1-1.
This model is measured at 53.9% 1X2 accuracy on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. See the measured accuracy
Probabilities recomputed on Aug 25, 2026 — the full match card is recomputed continuously until kick-off.
Who will win Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest?
Manchester City starts as the favourite with a 224-point Elo edge (2,372 vs 2,148).
What is the recent form of both teams?
Over their last 15 matches in all competitions, Manchester City have 10 wins, 3 draws and 2 defeats; Nottingham Forest have 6, 3 and 6.
The competition is shown for every match: in pre-season, several of these games are friendlies.
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 23, 2026 | Bournemouth(home) | 2-1 | Premier League |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Arsenal(away) | 0-3 | Community Shield |
| Aug 9, 2026 | Atletico Madrid(home) | 3-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Aug 5, 2026 | K-League Stars(away) | 3-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Aug 1, 2026 | Inter(home) | 1-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Date | Opponent | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2026 | Leeds(home) | 0-1 | Premier League |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Stade Brestois 29(home) | 2-0 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Aug 12, 2026 | Bayer Leverkusen(home) | 2-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Barcelona(away) | 0-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Udinese(away) | 0-1 | Friendlies Clubs |
What does the head-to-head say?
Across the last 6 meetings: 4 Manchester City win(s), 1 draw(s), 1 Nottingham Forest win(s).
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2026 | Manchester City 2-2 Nottingham Forest | Premier League |
| Dec 27, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 1-2 Manchester City | Premier League |
| Apr 27, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City | FA Cup |
| Mar 8, 2025 | Nottingham Forest 1-0 Manchester City | Premier League |
| Dec 4, 2024 | Manchester City 3-0 Nottingham Forest | Premier League |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Nottingham Forest 0-2 Manchester City | Premier League |
Last archived meeting: Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest on Mar 4, 2026
How many goals should we expect?
Manchester City score 1.9 and concede 1.0 goals per match over their last 15; Nottingham Forest score 1.3 and concede 1.3. The model gives a 55% probability of over 2.5 goals and 53% for both teams to score.
| Club | Goals scored / match | Goals conceded / match | Clean sheets | Both teams scored | Over 2.5 goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manchester City | 1.9 | 1.0 | 5 | 9/15 | 11/15 |
| Nottingham Forest | 1.3 | 1.3 | 3 | 8/15 | 7/15 |
Over the last 15 matches in all competitions.
Where do both teams sit in the table?
Manchester City sit 7th in Premier League (3 points from 1 matches) and Nottingham Forest sit 15th (0 points from 1 matches).
| # | Club | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Manchester City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 15 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Verdict, probable XI and verified absences
The full match card recomputes this prediction continuously until kick-off: multi-market verdict, player-by-player probable XI and web-verified absences.
Open the full match card in the app
No odds, no affiliation: the method is published and the accuracy is measured.
How does Footlab compute this prediction?
The model combines both teams' Elo ratings (anchored by competition pool), their recent form weighted by opponent strength, home advantage and a Poisson matrix for scorelines. Its accuracy is measured continuously on the predictions actually published. Methodology and measured accuracy
Frequently asked questions
- Who is the favourite for Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest?
- The Footlab model makes Manchester City the favourite at 60%, against 23% for a draw and 17% for Nottingham Forest.
- Where and when is Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest played?
- Manchester City vs Nottingham Forest is played on January 16, 2027 at 03:00 PM (UTC) at Etihad Stadium, in the Premier League.
- Will there be over 2.5 goals?
- The Footlab model gives a 55% probability of at least three goals in this match.
- How reliable is this prediction?
- The Footlab model is measured at 53.9% correct 1X2 outcomes on a temporal hold-out, against 33.3% for random guessing. The breakdown by competition and Elo gap is published on the accuracy page.