Fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest host second-placed Manchester Metropolis on Saturday (12:30 GMT). BBC Sport touches on a few of the key speaking factors surrounding this fixture.
Gibbs-White equals a terrific
Nottingham Forest’s efficiency by was underwhelming at finest and the match is one that won’t reside lengthy within the reminiscence.
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Probabilities have been at a premium in west London and a first-half Raul Jimenez penalty was all that separated the 2 groups.
“We acquired into good moments however by no means actually threatened. You must ask extra questions,” stated head coach Sean Dyche in his post-match interview. “I do not suppose it was a very good recreation, however it’s a must to get one thing from it and we weren’t capable of. We’ve got to do the fundamentals higher.”
Dyche has improved Forest’s fortunes since his appointment in October and has gained seven of his 13 video games in cost, with 4 of these victories within the Premier League.
Nonetheless, the 54-year-old has by no means crushed Pep Guardiola in 16 Premier League conferences, drawing two and shedding 14.
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Forest have been victorious of their earlier conflict with Manchester Metropolis on the Metropolis Floor in March and are vying to win consecutive league video games towards the Residents for the primary time since September 1995.
One of many solely notable issues on Monday evening from a Forest perspective was the looks of Morgan Gibbs-White. The 25-year-old was not wherever close to his finest within the capital however did play his 123rd Premier League recreation for the Reds, equalling legendary left-back Stuart Pearce’s whole for the membership within the division.
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Pep speak
Manchester Metropolis are on a seven-game successful run in all competitions, with 5 of these within the league. They’ve scored at the very least 3 times in all of these 5 triumphs and have stored clear sheets in every of the previous three. However regardless of that wonderful type, their supervisor Pep Guardiola continues to demand extra.
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“I am completely happy, I can not deny that, however we have now to enhance the best way we performed with the ball. In any other case, it is not going to be sufficient to reach in March and April to be contenders to win titles,” acknowledged Guardiola over final weekend.
“I stated to my gamers: ‘Merry Christmas for everybody nevertheless it is not going to be sufficient if we don’t enhance’. I do know the extent on this league, I do know , I understand how robust they’re. It is not sufficient. The spirit is there. However many, many issues we should do higher.”
Metropolis’s 54-year-old boss has additionally warned his gamers towards overindulging throughout their brief festive break and says he’ll weigh every of them after they return to coaching to make sure they’re match sufficient to play towards Forest.
One participant who will certainly function on this conflict, no matter how a lot turkey and mince pies he has consumed, is purpose machine Erling Haaland. The Norway striker has amassed 19 Premier League objectives in 17 video games this season – the joint-most in a marketing campaign earlier than Christmas.
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Eight of Haaland’s 19 objectives have come on the highway, together with a double within the membership’s final away journey to . Nonetheless, he has scored simply as soon as in three earlier visits to the Metropolis Floor and failed to search out the online in each conferences with Nottingham Forest final season.
He will likely be very eager to enhance that report on Saturday.