1 week Ago By James Harrop, Last Word On Sports
Nottingham Forest’s fairytale season continues with a first FA Cup semi-final since 1991, as they take on reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on April 27. The Tricky Trees, who have already beaten Pep Guardiola’s side this season, will be desperate to book a place in their first domestic final in 33 years. Victory over City would set up a final on May 17 against either Aston Villa, who haven’t won it since 1957, or two-time runners-up Crystal Palace.
Here is the Nottingham Forest predicted lineup for their all-important FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs Manchester City for Huge FA Cup Semi-Final on April 27 How Forest Have Lined Up Recently Nuno Espirito Santo has generally rotated his key players throughout the club’s impressive FA Cup run but will be looking to play the strongest team at his disposal against Manchester City. In their previous game, a 2-1 victory over Tottenham on April 21, Forest opted for a 4-2-2-2 formation instead of their usual 4-2-3-1, perhaps to add another body in midfield.
The ever-impressive Matz Sels continues to be Nuno’s first choice keeper, with Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo forming a tried and tested centre-half pairing that has been so effective this season. Neco Williams started at right back, with the lesser-spotted Harry Toffolo making his first start of the season at left-back and putting in an outstanding performance which included an incredible goal-line clearance. Nicolas Dominguez and Danilo played at the base of midfield, with 23-year-old Danilo making his first start since February.
Just ahead of them, star man Morgan Gibbs-White and the talented Elliot Anderson made up the more advanced midfield pair, a move which highlighted Anderson’s ability to play in a more attacking role as he scored the opening goal of the contest. Up front, Chris Wood, who has a career-best 19 Premier League goals to his name this season, was partnered with speedster Anthony Elanga. The Swedish international has now scored six goals and recorded nine assists this campaign and is flourishing in Nuno’s counter-attacking system.
Forest’s Recent Form and Tactics Nottingham Forest have been particularly impressive away from home against the “big six” this season, having recorded away victories against Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham. Only soon-to-be champions Liverpool have won more away games this season than Forest’s nine, and this is down to Nuno’s shrewd tactical setup. Away from home, Forest have become adept at allowing their opponents to dominate possession before springing forward on the counter as soon as the ball is won and looking to claim an early lead.
Once they go 1-0 up, it is then extremely difficult to break down Nuno’s side, who are happy to sit back and soak up pressure for the remainder of the game. This tactic was on full display against Tottenham in their previous game, as Forest scored two early goals on the break and held on to the three points, despite coming under severe pressure and having just four shots to Spurs’ 22. Another area in which the Tricky Trees have dominated this season is penalty shootouts, which could be the deciding factor at Wembley.
Forest have required a penalty shootout to progress through the last three rounds of the FA Cup, seeing off Exeter City, Ipswich Town, and Brighton on their road to the semi-final. Goalkeeper Matz Sels has demonstrated a particular knack for saving spot kicks and he has been backed up by his teammates, with Forest missing just one penalty across the three shootouts. Nottingham Forest Injuries To Consider The first problem that Nuno has to solve is replacing captain Ryan Yates and right-back Williams, who will both miss the game through suspension.
This could leave Forest with a severe lack of options at full-back, with first-choice right-back Ola Aina facing a late fitness test prior to the game. If Aina isn’t passed fit, the East Midlands side will be left with just Toffolo and Alex Moreno as full-back options, both of whom are left-footed and prefer to play on the left flank. Youngster Eric da Silva Moreira, who would offer a more natural right-back option, is also facing a late fitness test, and it is unlikely that the 18-year-old would have started such an important contest.
Winger Jota Silva is also a doubt for the semi-final but may feature from the bench. Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs Manchester City GK: Matz Sels RB: Harry Toffolo CB: Nikola Milenkovic CB: Murillo LB: Alex Moreno DM: Elliot Anderson DM: Nicolas Dominguez AM Morgan Gibbs-White RW: Anthony Elanga LW: Callum Hudson-Odoi ST: Chris Wood This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission..
