Controlling the threat of Nottingham Forest on the counter could decide today’s FA Cup semi-final | OneFootball

Manchester City take on Nottingham Forest today at Wembley in the second FA Cup semi-final. The winner of today’s match will take on Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. Looking at the game today how Pep Guardiola’s contain the threat of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on the counter could go a long way in deciding today’s match. It’s Forest’s key weapon and does loom over today’s FA Cup semi-final.

Manchester City enters today’s match off the back of a seven-game unbeaten run. Their last defeat came against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. City fell to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side 1-nil. A late goal from Anthony Elanga after a sublime 50-yard ball from Morgan Gibbs-White decided that match. It’s that threat that City must contain today. Nottingham Forest will likely sit deep defensively and look to hit City on the break. It’s how they play. With Chris Wood, Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Morgan Gibbs-White they have the weapons to play that style effectively. They have all season long as evidenced by their Premier League position and place in today’s FA Cup semi-final.

Pep Guardiola’s side will have to control today’s match to beat Forest. It’s how they’ve beaten Everton and Aston Villa in their past two matches. Manchester City controlled the game and limited the chances of Villa and Everton getting behind their defence. They’ll likely follow a similar pattern of play today at Wembley. After their last defeat, it has been how City have turned their fortunes around of late. It’d be a major surprise if Pep Guardiola set his side up in a different manner today.

The lessons learned from Manchester City’s last defeat to Nottingham Forest will be key to today’s result.

Pep Guardiola spoke of the lessons his team must take from their defeat to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side. They will be key in how he prepared his team for today’s match. Speaking during his pre-game press conference, Pep Guardiola explained: “When we arrive at Wembley it’ll be about preparing as best as possible and remembering the game we played at Forest away. We will learn from that, what they can do and try to let the players feel the type of game we’re going to face.”

Ilkay Gundogan believes his team must play with confidence to win today’s match. In an interview published on mancity.com, he said: “We have to be confident. When we play with confidence we play automatically better. Our game requires confidence because we want to play brave, possession-based football. We need that because we have been playing many games where we lacked a little bit of confidence and haven’t dealt well with it. We have to do that, stay true to ourselves and know what we are playing for. Then, I am confident that we can reach the final.”

Manchester City will enter today’s FA Cup semi-final full of confidence. They are unbeaten in their past seven matches. But to prosper today they must learn the lessons from their last defeat which came at the hands of Nottingham Forest. If City can control today’s match and limit the threat of Forest on the break that will go a long way in deciding today’s match. How that element of the game unfolds could be the deciding factor in the match. It’s perhaps the biggest tactical storyline of today’s game.