Elliot Anderson’s last goal against Man City was for Forest, and he goes back to the City Ground with them tonight
Manchester City paid Nottingham Forest £116 million for the midfielder in July. Forest, 19th, have not scored in four home league games this season.
Nov 7, 2026
The last time Elliot Anderson played against Manchester City, he scored against them. His 76th-minute equaliser at the Etihad in March earned Nottingham Forest a 2-2 draw and left City seven points behind Arsenal in the title race. Four months later City paid Forest £116 million for him, and on Saturday he goes back to the City Ground in sky blue.
Enzo Maresca, who replaced Pep Guardiola in the summer and made Anderson one of his first signings, expects Forest’s fans to be kind. “I guess a good one because what he has done there has been important,” he said when asked about the reception, before adding that the money Forest received for him had been important too. “So I hope for him that he receives a good reception.”
City have lost two in a row
City arrive in an unusual position. They won their first seven league games, then lost 2-1 at Aston Villa, where Nicolas Jackson scored twice, and 1-0 at home to Brighton. According to Opta, those two defeats equal the number City had suffered in their previous 33 Premier League matches.
They are second on 21 points, three behind Arsenal, and they did get back to winning in midweek. Anderson crossed for Erling Haaland’s 78th-minute winner as City won 3-2 at RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Antoine Semenyo, who scored City’s first goal in that March draw, is out with a knee injury.
No goals at the City Ground
Forest’s problem is simple. They have played four league games at home this season and have not scored in any of them: 1-0 defeats by Leeds, Coventry and Arsenal, and a 0-0 draw with Tottenham. All six of their league goals have come on the road, and their only win was 2-1 at Aston Villa in September.
It is not for want of trying. Forest have had 152 shots this season, the second most in the league, according to Opta, but they convert only 4% of them, the lowest rate in the division. They are 19th with six points, and they lost 2-0 at Brentford last Saturday.
Oliver Glasner, who took over in July after leaving Crystal Palace, will be without Nicolò Savona and Nicolás Domínguez. Igor Jesus is set to return after a calf problem. Maresca did not sound like a manager expecting an easy evening. He said Forest’s league position does not reflect the quality of their squad.
How the last meetings went
Forest have won one of their last nine Premier League meetings with City, a 1-0 home win in March 2025, with three draws and five defeats. City won 2-1 at the City Ground last season through Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki.
Opta’s supercomputer makes City 51.5% favourites, with Forest on 25.4% and the draw at 23.1%. That feels about right to me. Forest create enough chances to trouble anyone, and City have looked shakier at the back in the last fortnight than at any point under Maresca. But a side that has not scored at home in four attempts is asking a lot of itself against Haaland, and I would expect City to edge it.
Kick-off time
Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City kicks off at 5:30pm UK time on Saturday, 7 November, which is 11pm IST. It is the last round of league games before the November international break.