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.

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

South Africa wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock misjudges a catch after running 29m to take it against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup semi-final.

It’s hard to believe the 2026 women’s lacrosse season is nearly a month old. After a thrilling first four weeks of the year, March is here, and alongside March Madness comes a packed slate of matchups with many implications for the top 10 in the IWLCA coaches poll. Let’s take a look at how things shifted over the last week.

1. North Carolina (5-0, 3-0 ACC)

Movement: none

Last Week: 27-3 win over Florida State

This Week: at No. 11 Clemson, vs. No. 21 Pittsburgh

UNC did what last week?

Yes, you read that score correctly. Five days after tying a program record with 24 goals against Louisville, the Tar Heels smashed their own historic performance with 27 goals against Florida State, putting up a collective performance for the ages. UNC got goals from 12 different players, led by seven tallies from Chloe Humphrey, and the defense stifled FSU, holding the Seminoles to just five shots on goal.

Craziest of all? UNC did this on a season-low 34 shots, scoring 27 times on 28 shots on goal. Poor Florida State goalie Catrina Tobin played 41:33 in net and allowed 20 goals without recording a save, and Julia Ward wasn’t much better, with just one save and seven goals allowed in 18:27 of game time. FSU has stayed competitive in past games, but the Tar Heels embarrassed the Seminoles in every aspect of Friday’s affair. Once again, UNC has put the lacrosse world on notice in its pursuit of back-to-back titles.

2. Stanford (7-0, 4-0 ACC)

Movement: none

Last Week: 16-8 win over No. 20 Virginia, 16-6 win over Virginia Tech

This Week: vs. No. 22 Duke

The Cardinal kept rolling last week, adding a convincing ranked win over the Cavaliers to their impressive resume. Five players have scored double-digit goals for Stanford on the season, and against UVA, the Cardinal led 10-3 at halftime and won behind four goals from Aliya Polisky and three from Mallory Hasselbeck and Lindsey Devir. Tough matchups against Notre Dame, Boston College and North Carolina still loom, but for now, Stanford remains near the top of the rankings.

3. Maryland (5-0, 3-0 B1G)

Movement: none

Last Week: 16-12 win over No. 18 Princeton

This Week: at Hofstra, vs. James Madison

After Saturday’s victory over the Tigers and Georgetown’s ascension to No. 24 in the rankings, the Terrapins have four ranked wins on their resume. Maryland defeated Princeton behind a strong seven-goal first quarter, and the offense continued throughout, as Keeley Block and Kori Edmondson ended with four goals apiece to boost the Terps to victory. Maryland has yet to win a game against a team currently ranked higher than No. 15, but the Terrapins have held strong at every opportunity so far, with a couple of unranked matchups on tap for this upcoming week.

4. Northwestern (5-1, 0-0 B1G)

Movement: none

Last Week: 13-12 win over No. 18 Stony Brook

This Week: vs. No. 15 Syracuse, vs. Ohio State

The Wildcats nearly suffered a second massive upset loss on Saturday, needing three unanswered fourth-quarter goals to overcome the Seawolves on the road. Stony Brook outshot the ‘Cats 33-24 overall, but Northwestern managed just enough offense in the end, driven by four goals from Madison Taylor and three from Taylor Lapointe. Next, the Wildcats will face a battle-tested Syracuse squad. The Orange are 2-3, but their losses are against No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Stanford and No. 3 Maryland, and they do have a win over No. 16 Loyola Maryland.

Not an easy matchup by any stretch.

5. Navy (5-0, 0-0 Patriot League)

Movement: up five spots

Last Week: 14-11 win over No. 7 Florida

This Week: at South Florida, vs. Jacksonville

Navy is officially in the top five! The Midshipmen remained undefeated last week thanks to a huge upset win over the Gators, led by a balanced scoring attack and an 11-4 scoring margin in the second and third quarters. Mikayla Williams and Ava Yovino had hat tricks for Navy, and the Midshipmen crushed Florida with an 18-9 margin in the draw control battle. With just two current ranked matchups left on its schedule, Navy absolutely had to have this win to secure its place among the country’s top teams. Following the victory, the possibility of an undefeated season remains alive.

6. Notre Dame (5-1, 2-1 ACC)

Movement: up two spots

Last Week: 12-9 win over No. 24 Pittsburgh

This Week: at No. 11 Clemson, at Elon

Notre Dame did just enough to vault up the rankings last week by picking up a big-time win over Pittsburgh. The Fighting Irish led this contest 12-7 after three quarters and held on from there, boosted by 20 Panther turnovers and four goals from the aptly named Maura Irish. Clemson on the road will be a tough out for the Fighting Irish, but if they can escape with a win, they should remain in the early Final Four conversation.

7. Florida (3-2, 0-0 Big 12)

Movement: none

Last Week: 24-8 win over Stetson, 14-11 loss to No. 5 Navy

This Week: vs. Mercer

The Gators handled Stetson as expected, but they did not manage to take down Navy, suffering their second top-10 loss as a result. Florida has had an inconsistent season against a tough early schedule, with big wins over Loyola Maryland and Clemson but difficult defeats at the hands of Michigan and the Midshipmen. If all goes well for Florida, Mercer should offer a welcome respite before a slightly tougher matchup against No. 25 Penn on March 11.

8. Michigan (3-2, 0-0 Big Ten)

Movement: down two spots

Last Week: 11-6 loss to No. 16 Yale

This Week: vs. Central Michigan, vs. No. 14 Colorado

Michigan tumbled a couple of spots after its woeful offensive performance against Yale, which featured just 11 shots on goal despite a 13-6 Wolverine draw control advantage. The Wolverines did not score in the first or third quarters of the contest, and aside from an Emma Bradbury hat trick, there were no multi-goal performances from the Maize and Blue. Michigan will likely take care of business against Central Michigan, but Colorado is no slouch, as the Buffaloes sport an elite defense that did not allow double-digit goals in any of its first five games.

9. Johns Hopkins (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

Movement: down four spots

Last Week: 23-7 win over Colgate, 12-10 win over James Madison

This Week: vs. No. 13 Stony Brook

The Blue Jays sank four spots due to their shocking Feb. 24 loss to Georgetown discussed in last week’s edition of top 10 talk. A 23-7 win over Colgate was a major bounce-back, but against JMU, Johns Hopkins nearly dropped another game, falling behind 10-6 after three quarters before a huge fourth-quarter surge. The Blue Jays are undoubtedly one of the best Big Ten teams, but they have looked shockingly weak lately despite facing easier competition. They’ll look to bounce back and secure their fourth ranked win of the season on Sunday against Stony Brook.

10. Boston College (2-3, 2-1 ACC)

Movement: up one spot

Last Week: 11-9 win over No. 9 Clemson

This Week: at No. 22 Duke, at California

The Eagles are back in the top 10 despite losses to Northwestern, Notre Dame and Michigan, as they picked up a signature win over the Tigers behind a four-goal performance from Kylee Colbert. Boston College trailed 6-5 at halftime but rode a five-goal third-quarter performance to victory for its first ranked victory of 2026. Up next, the Eagles will have one more ranked matchup against Duke before a trip west to face California.

Just missed the cut: Clemson (loss to No. 11 Boston College), Yale (win over No. 8 Michigan), Stony Brook (win over No. 15 Colorado, loss to No. 4 Northwestern)