Guardiola problems with injuries and Grealish (as if he's injuried too)

The battle at City Ground in Nottingham at 15.30 between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City is not just a fight for third place but also for a spot in the new Champions League cycle.

With teams from fifth to tenth place—Chelsea, Newcastle, Bournemouth, Brighton, Fulham, and Aston Villa—also in the mix, the gap between fourth-placed City and tenth-placed Aston Villa is just six points.

This means that until the end of May, everything will be possible in the race for points. It seems that City's championship team is slowly stabilizing after the crisis it faced last autumn. Victories over Tottenham and then over Plymouth give Pep Guardiola hope that things are improving, but he is well aware of the challenge ahead, as Nottingham Forest has been a true revelation this season.

The City boss is aware that the battle for the Champions League spots will be fierce until the very end.

"Many clubs are fighting for these spots. Everyone wants to play in the Champions League next season—it’s prestigious and has economic and sustainability reasons," added Pep.

All four of City's January signings—Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, and Nico Gonzalez—will be available for Guardiola, though he still cannot count on injured players Rodri, Oscar Bobb, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Nathan Ake.

"The new players have brought something strong, something different. They want to prove themselves and are fully focused in every training session. Their arrival has also boosted our confidence," added Guardiola.

The British media have also highlighted the latest off-field incident involving City forward Jack Grealish, who was spotted partying in a Newcastle nightclub until the early morning hours on Sunday. The fact remains that he hasn’t started a match in two months, and Guardiola has certainly taken note of his behavior off the pitch.

"They know what they need to do. They have their private lives and can do as they please. I won’t control what they do off the field. I judge based on what I see in training and matches. I wish Jack all the best, but he has had problems and hasn’t been playing, sometimes due to injuries that have prevented him from finding the rhythm needed to be ready to play every three days," said Guardiola.

When asked if Grealish would leave the club in the summer, he responded:

"He is a City player. What will happen? I don’t know. That applies to everyone—we will discuss it at the end of the season. But right now, we are fighting for many important things," added the City manager.

As for Nottingham Forest, manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be without only Miguel, while the rest of the squad is available.

"It will be very exciting because we're playing against a team full of great players. They have a manager who has a strong influence on the game—he's a man who has changed football. This match is a big challenge for us. Some of their players are returning, they have raised their level, and they’ve added a few new players, so it will certainly be tougher for us. However, we are in good form, we love playing at City Ground, and I expect a great game," said the Portuguese coach.

In the first half of the season in Manchester, at the beginning of December, City won convincingly 3-0. Nottingham has not beaten City since 1997 and is currently on a five-match winless streak in all competitions.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 28

Saturday

15:30: (3.95) Nott.Forest (3.80) Man.City (1.95)

18:00: (2.05) Brighton (3.60) Fulham (3.80)

18:00: (1.48) Crystal Palace (4.50) Ipswich (6.50)

18:00: (1.13) Liverpool (12.0) Southampton (18.0)

20:30: (2.35) Brentford (3.60) Aston Villa (3.10)

23:00: (2.60) Wolverhampton (3.15) Everton (2.85)

Sunday

17:00: (1.22) Chelsea (7.75) Leicester (13.0)

17:00: (2.65) Tottenham (3.85) Bournemouth (2.55)

19:30: (5.10) Man.Utd. (3.60) Arsenal (1.80)

Monday

23:00: (3.25) West Ham (3.50) Newcastle (2.30)

***odds are subject to change***