Manchester City are playing the role of party poopers in this season's FA Cup, with Pep Guardiola's side aiming to return to the final for a third straight year.
The remaining teams in the competition have been bereft of domestic cup success for decades, and we all know that the Cityzens haven't exactly been shy of silverware with Guardiola at the helm. They've lifted this trophy seven times but only twice under the Spaniard, and the Cityzens have the extra motivation of knowing this is their only hope of tangible success amid a difficult campaign.
Spirits in Guardiola's camp must be high after a big Premier League win on Wednesday, and they're now aiming to down a Nottingham Forest side boasting similar goals during the final month of the season.
Here's how Man City could line up for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final.
Man City predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1)
GK: Stefan Ortega - The manager suggested that Ederson is likely to miss out again on Sunday, so Ortega starts by default.
RB: Matheus Nunes - Fresh off the biggest moment of his City career thus far, Nunes is expected to retain his place at right-back.
CB: Ruben Dias - The recovery speed of Abdukodir Khusanov must be tempting Guardiola, but the Spaniard is unlikely to break up the centre-back partnership which has provided stability in recent outings.
CB: Josko Gvardiol - Gvardiol has expertly partnered Dias as of late, reminding us all that he is a centre-back by trade.
LB: Nico O'Reilly - O'Reilly's big break arrived in this competition, and he played a key role in City's quarter-final turnaround at Bournemouth. He's been brilliant since.
CM: Nico Gonzalez - Guardiola could draft in the January signing to contain Forest on the breakaway. He's better suited to such a role than Mateo Kovacic, who played 90 minutes on Tuesday.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan - While many of City's old guard have faltered, Gundogan's coming on strong down the stretch and should have plenty of freedom to affect play higher up the field.
RW: Savinho - The Brazilian has had a decent debut season, with much of his good work arriving on the opposite side. However, City will feel as if they can get at Forest in wide areas, so Pep could deploy the tricky Savinho on Sunday in a bid to create against a stern defence.
AM: Kevin De Bruyne - Phil Foden is out of favour and De Bruyne, despite his upcoming summer exit, continues to be relied upon by Guardiola.
LW: Jeremy Doku - It was some Doku magic which set up City's crucial midweek winner, and Guardiola should give the Belgian a chance to build on the momentum gained from that stunning sequence.
ST: Omar Marmoush - Marmoush hasn't operated as an out-and-out centre-forward in Erling Haaland's absence, and we could see the Egyptian operate as one of two false nines this Sunday - likely with De Bruyne advancing from midfield. Marmoush also loves to drift towards the left flank.
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