If Manchester City are going to salvage something from their below-par season, then I definitely would not put it past them to win the FA Cup.
They go up against what will be a strong and heavily motivated Nottingham Forest side in the semi-finals who will definitely be no pushover, though with so much riding on it for City and Pep Guardiola’s experience in big games, I’d back them to narrowly shade it.
Already this season, Forest got the better of City in a 1-0 win at the City Ground last month, to keep their top four hopes alive; indeed both teams are in contention for this.
While I do think Forest will be going for it, I think they will have one eye on a Champions League place, because they’ve lost ground in recent weeks and their place is a lot more under threat than City’s.
What Will Be Key For City?
I thought they rediscovered their mental toughness last time out against Aston Villa to dig deep and find what was a crucial winner – especially for their top four chances, so I think this will give them confidence against Forest.
At the back, they will need to be switched on – Forest are dangerous on the counter-attack and have players who can hurt you, especially Morgan Gibbs-White, who they are reportedly tracking for the summer, while Anthony Elanga has pace to burn and Chris Wood is arguably the deadliest hitman in Europe.
I think the best thing they can do is start fast on the front foot and try to overwhelm Forest and they do have the players that can cause problems, with the likes of new boy, Omar Marmoush, Bernardo Silva and of course Kevin De Bruyne, who will be targeting one last piece of silverware with City before he leaves at the end of the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a major say on this match.
Erling Haaland is a big miss for City though, and Forest will probably be relieved that they don’t have to face him. After his performance last time out against Villa, I’d have Jeremy Doku as one of the first names on the team sheet after setting up Matheus Nunes’ injury time winner.
Can Forest Pose A Threat?
Yes, absolutely. As I said above, going forward, especially on the break, they are frightening and City will need to be alert, but for me, it’s their defensive solidity that has probably been the most important aspect of their season – and probably a big reason for their league position.
Forest have even shown they are capable of breaking teams down that play with a low block as well – Nuno Espirito Santo plays good, yet simple and effective football, using wingers to their maximum effect, while also encouraging movement centrally.
So, City will need to be at their best to win, but I think they will to keep their silverware chances alive.