Manchester City and Nottingham Forest will go head-to-head in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, with both sides looking to top off differing seasons with a trophy.
Pep Guardiola’s side claimed a late 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the Premier League in midweek to come into this game full of confidence, while Nottingham Forest claimed a 2-1 win over Tottenham in their last game to maintain their push for Champions League football next season.
Both teams have some injury concerns and the managers have decisions to make, so this is how GIVEMESPORT expect the sides to line up.
Man City Team News
Haaland still unavailable
The Cityzens have had a difficult campaign that hasn’t been helped with injuries, and that looks set to continue for this game. Erling Haaland remains sidelined with a foot injury, while Rodri is a long-term absentee with a knee problem suffered last year.
Goalkeeper Ederson is pushing to return after missing the last few games, while Nathan Ake and John Stones are unavailable with hamstring and foot injuries respectively.
| Man City Injuries and Suspensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Injury | Potential Return Date |
| Ederson | Groin | 27/04/2025 |
| John Stones | Hamstring | 10/05/2025 |
| Erling Haaland | Ankle | 10/05/2025 |
| Rodri | Knee | 18/05/2025 |
| Nathan Ake | Foot | 25/05/2025 |
Guardiola Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Guardiola shared an update on his squad ahead of the game.
Man City XI
De Bruyne benched at Wembley
- Man City XI: Ortega Moreno; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O’Reilly; Lewis, Kovacic; Savinho, Bernardo, Grealish, Marmoush.
- Man City Substitutes: Ederson(GK), Khusanov (DEF), Reis (DEF), Akanji (DEF), Gundogan (MID), Nico (MID), De Bruyne (MID), Foden (FWD), Doku (FWD).
De Bruyne’s form has picked up in recent weeks since announcing he will leave the club at the end of the season, and he should start once again in the number ten role behind Omar Marmoush.
That should leave £825,000-a-week trio Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva on the bench, while youngster Nico O’Reilly continues to shine from left-back.
Nottingham Forest Team News
Ola Aina pushing to return
Forest have had a settled squad for much of the campaign but right-back Ola Aina’s hamstring injury has seen him miss recent games, and Nuno will be hoping to have the Nigeria international back for the game after a late fitness test.
Eric Moreira and Jota Silva also missed Monday’s clash with Tottenham with knocks and will be assessed, but the manager has revealed that all players will travel for the game regardless of if they’re available to play or not.
| Nottingham Forest Injuries and Suspensions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player | Injury | Potential Return Date |
| Ola Aina | Hamstring | 27/04/2025 |
| Eric Moreira | Ankle | 27/04/2025 |
| Jota Silva | Knock | 27/04/2025 |
Espirito Santo Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Nuno Espirito Santo shared an update ahead of the game.
“There’s a big excitement, more noise around us, a bigger ticket requirement and more distractions; all things that we try to anticipate to arrive on Sunday ready to go.
“We can feel it (the excitement), but as a squad we have to keep our commitment and focus on what is really important which is the game and the opponent and how hard it is going to be.
“We speak to different generations of fans, fans that have been there and have a chance to return. They are proud and happy and we have fans that are going to go for the first time.
“We’re aware of the excitement but that shows how well the players are doing things. We’re allowing people to live these special occasions again and big occasions as a club.
“We are proud and happy that we make our fans happy, this is what we work for, to see smiles on our fans’ faces.
“I think if it was possible we would take even more fans if they had the chance to go. But 35,000 is a nice number to have behind us and we can’t thank them enough.”
“All of the squad is going to travel because it’s a competition that every player has been involved in so it’s fair that everybody is there.
“Our players want to go and that shows the togetherness of the team among themselves. They know being there could help us, it could help us be more comfortable and less nervous; everybody is required.”
Nottingham Forest XI
Hudson-Odoi to start
- Nottingham Forest XI: Sels; Abbott, Murillo, Milenkovic, Toffolo; Danilo, Dominguez; Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
- Nottingham Forest Substitutes: Carlos Miguel (GK), Moreno (DEF), Boly (DEF), Morato (DEF), Sangare (MID), Elanga (MID), Jota (FWD), Sosa (FWD), Awoniyi (FWD).
Such is Aina’s quality that if he is remotely available he will start, while Santo is likely to select the pace of Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi out wide to support Chris Wood on counter-attacks.
