Man City Starting XI vs Nottingham Forest: Confirmed Team News and Pr… — and more

Man City Predicted Lineup vs Nottingham Forest as Haaland Fitness Monitored

Manchester City return to the Etihad Stadium tonight with momentum building in the Premier League title race. Closing the gap on league leaders Arsenal remains the objective, although the Man City predicted lineup could depend heavily on the fitness of their leading striker.

Pep Guardiola faces a familiar balancing act between caution and ambition as his side prepare to face Nottingham Forest. The potential involvement of Erling Haaland remains the major talking point surrounding the selection.

Haaland Fitness Update Ahead of Man City Match

Erling Haaland was a surprise absentee from Manchester City’s squad during the recent trip to Leeds United. Guardiola confirmed before that fixture that the striker had sustained a minor injury during training.

Photo: IMAGO

“Two days ago, in the last moments of training, there were some problems,” Guardiola said. “A little injury.

“It’s not a big issue, but not ready for today.”

City still secured victory at Elland Road, with Antoine Semenyo scoring the decisive goal to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the summit of the Premier League.

Guardiola offered a more optimistic update ahead of tonight’s match.

“He feels much better, but yesterday we didn’t train and now we have training. We’ll decide today,” the City boss said.

Photo IMAGO

That decision will shape the Man City predicted lineup.

Injury Situation Affecting Man City Selection

Manchester City remain without two long term absentees. Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are both unavailable for the Nottingham Forest match.

There is also uncertainty surrounding Nico O’Reilly after he left the Leeds game with an ankle problem.

Photo IMAGO

Guardiola suggested his situation mirrors that of Haaland.

The City manager explained that the midfielder is in “the same” position, having improved following the knock.

Encouragingly for City supporters, attacking depth has been strengthened by the return of Jeremy Doku and Savinho following recent injury spells.

Photo IMAGO

Defensive Stability Key for Man City Predicted Lineup

At the back, Guardiola appears likely to maintain the central defensive partnership that has recently delivered consistency.

Ruben Dias and Marc Guehi are expected to continue together, while Rayan Ait-Nouri impressed with his display at Leeds.

Photo IMAGO

In midfield, Rodri and Bernardo Silva offer Guardiola control and composure, a familiar foundation for City’s possession based approach.

Further forward, Rayan Cherki impressed in Haaland’s absence.

Photo IMAGO

The creative midfielder produced an influential performance operating behind the attack, supporting Semenyo and Omar Marmoush.

Man City Predicted Lineup vs Nottingham Forest

City are expected to line up in a 4-2-3-1 system for the Nottingham Forest clash.

Man City predicted lineup: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Silva, Semenyo, Cherki, Marmoush, Haaland.

Kick off at the Etihad Stadium is scheduled for 7.30pm GMT on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

For Manchester City, the predicted lineup carries wider significance. Another victory would sustain pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League and reinforce the sense that Guardiola’s side remain firmly in the title race.

St Pauli president Oke Göttlich has welcomed a new squad cost rule by the German Football League (DFL) as "an important first step."

The 36 Bundesliga and second division clubs decided on Tuesday that clubs can spend no more than 70% of their respective revenues on their squads. The rule will come into effect from next season onwards and will be fully implemented by the 2028-29 season.

"We need clear rules to secure competition and economic stability in the league. Further instruments like squad and salary caps can also contribute," Göttlich said.

"We make ourselves more independent from external money with these measures and thus act in a more sustainable way," added Göttlich, who had suggested the measure in the past.

The DFL rule is not the same as salary caps in major North American sports such as NHL ice hockey, NBA basketball or NFL American football.

There the leagues agree with the players unions on a maximum sum franchises can spend on their squads. The figure is the same for every team, regardless of its own revenue.

Where will Green Bay Packers backup quarterback and soon-to-be free agent Malik Willis end up in 2026? ESPN set out to find a potential answer before the start of free agency, using a group of reporters to stage a mock negotiation between teams (represented by ESPN's team reporters) and Willis (represented by ESPN's national reporter Dan Graziano).

The end result? Willis got three competing offers, and he ended up signing with...the Minnesota Vikings.

Teams can start "legally" negotiating with Willis on Monday. ESPN used a set of six interested teams, which actually mirrored the six teams we projected as the top landing spots for Willis last month.

The Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers did not make offers. All three reporters noted salary cap concerns and the potential of Willis commanding a big deal for stepping away. The Dolphins have been a logical landing spot for Willis since the start, but the team is in a cap bind and may not want to spend big on a quarterback this offseason. We'll see.

That left three teams with offers: the Arizona Cardinals, Vikings and New York Jets.

None of the three offers came close to the $25-30 million window some are expecting for Willis. The Cardinals offered a two-year, $33 million deal. The Jets offered two years, $40 million -- the Justin Fields deal 2.0. The Vikings offered one-year, $20 million -- fully guaranteed.

The decision...

From Graziano: "Willis goes to Minnesota here. Sure, there are higher offers and more guarantees with the Cardinals and Jets, but I don't really like the idea of a two-year deal. Worst case, Willis gets hurt or plays poorly, leading Arizona or New York to cut him. Best case, he is great … and then underpaid in 2027. But playing for O'Connell and quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, as well as throwing to Jefferson, would give Willis the best chance to have a huge year and really cash in next offseason."

I like the thought of his mock negotiation, and using plugged-in reporters to offer deals and a national reporter to pick the best one is a nice way to simulate what could happen. But I still tend to think Willis is going to coveted next week, especially considering how many teams have legitimate question marks at quarterback entering free agency, and there are several solid fits that could drive his price above $20 million.

In ESPN's mock scenario, it would be hard to fault Willis for going to Minnesota on a one-year, guaranteed deal. He'd be landing in a solid offensive structure with playmakers at receiver and a veteran playcaller, and the one-year deal would both provide a big upfront payday and a chance to prove he's a starter worth paying handsomely next offseason.

The Packers, on the other hand, would probably love for Willis to land in Miami with Jeff Hafley or Arizona with Mike LaFleur. The possibility of facing Willis twice in 2026 -- especially if he can provide a spark in Minnesota after what the Vikings went through at quarterback in 2025 -- would be especially troublesome.

No team wants to lose an ascending young quarterback. The Packers are resigned to the fact, given how well Willis has played as a backup over the last two seasons, but seeing him land in Minnesota and become an above average starting quarterback for a rival in the division would be something close to a worst-case scenario. The Packers did the hard work developing Willis' talent. In this scenario, the Vikings receive the fruits of Green Bay's labor on a low-risk, potentially high-reward deal.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: ESPN's simulation for Malik Willis sends Packers QB to rival Vikings

Manchester United Chief Goalkeeper Scout Tony Coton is a wanted man, with many suitors reportedly trying to prise him away from Carrington.

The 64-year-old was a renowned custodian during his playing days, representing the likes of Birmingham City, Watford, and Manchester City. He even had a brief spell at Man Utd in 1996, before hanging up his gloves in 1997 after one last stint at Sunderland.

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Coton then launched a coaching career, joining Sir Alex Ferguson’s staff in the 1997/98 campaign, acting as a goalkeeper coach. He remained in this role until 2008.

The Tamworth native then turned into a scout, and following experiences at the likes of Bolton, Aston Villa and Sunderland, he rejoined the Red Devils in 2020.

Tony Coton Played instrumental role in Senne Lammen’s arrival at United

While he isn’t the most recognisable name at Carrington, Coton’s work has been recently highlighted. He was identified as the man behind the Senne Lammens coup.

In 2023, the Englishman was reportedly against Andre Onana’s signing, but eventually stood aside and watched the club spend £47 million on the Cameroonian, much to Erik ten Hag’s delight.

Tony Coton, when he was part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s crew (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Therefore, Coton was hellbent on avoiding the same scenario last summer, so he vigorously pushed for Lammens’ arrival, while Ruben Amorim had requested the arrival of the more experienced Emiliano Martinez.

Eventually, Coton was proven right, as the 23-year-old has been hailed as Man Utd’s ‘best signing in recent years’ by Forbes, taking into consideration his relatively modest transfer fee (£18 million) and the overwhelmingly positive impact he has had since his arrival.

Coton has several European admirers looking to remove him from Man Utd

According to British journalist Peter O’Rourke, several clubs across Europe are trying to acquire Coton’s services.

This includes the Bundesliga duo of Bayer Leverkusen and Wolfsburg, and the fastest-rising powerhouse in Serie A, Como, who have one of the richest owners in Europe.

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether Man Utd will be able to ward off the competition and keep the Tamworth native, whose competence and experience have been noticeably valuable to the club.

Thanks to Coton, United may have secured a long-term first-choice goalkeeper. Nevertheless his services will be needed once more in the summer, as Altay Bayindir is widely expected to be sold, which would prompt the signing of a replacement.