Sunderland's unexpected quest for European football continues, when they welcome Leeds United to the Stadium of Light on Sunday in their 18th Premier League game of the season.

The two sides are battling at opposite ends of the table, with the hosts in sixth place with 27 points having drawn 0-0 with Brighton & Hove Albion on December 20, whereas Leeds head into the weekend's clash in 16th place with 19 points.

Sunderland vs Leeds United - prediction, team news, lineups

Things are beginning to get tasty at the top of the Premier League table, with Manchester City hoping to leapfrog current leaders Arsenal with a victory over Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s early game.

Pep Guardiola’s men are putting serious pressure on the Gunners, though maintaining their current winning run may prove easier said than done as Forest look to end a 30-year streak against the Citizens at the City Ground.

Match preview

Let us start with the hosts. Nottingham Forest head into Saturday’s game having won six of their previous nine games across all competitions, including a sensational 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur a fortnight ago.

However, Sean Dyche and his men failed to capitalise on that result as the Tricky Trees delivered a lacklustre performance in their 1-0 defeat away at Fulham – a result which keeps Forest just one spot above the bottom three.

Nottingham will be leaning on their home form in this game, with the team managing four wins from their previous six games at the City Ground – a run which includes just one home loss since Dyche’s arrival.

On top of that, Forest fans will certainly remember City’s last visit to the ground, which ended in a historic 1-0 victory for the Tricky Trees – their first league success over the Citizens since 1995.

Nottingham now have an opportunity to win back-to-back league games against Man City for the first time in 30 years. If that was not enough motivation, victory would move Dyche and his men eight points clear of the bottom three ahead of the three o’clock matches.

The comments proved that Guardiola is not leaving anything to chance in this title race, though his confidence will have grown over December after overseeing a seven-match winning run across all competitions.

City have been particularly ruthless in recent weeks, winning their last three Premier League games by a 3-0 scoreline. Should they continue on that trajectory, the Citizens could become the first club in English top flight history to win four consecutive matches by three goals or more and keep a clean sheet in each encounter.

Guardiola’s men have conceded just one goal in five games, which came in a 2-1 victory away against Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier this month.

City’s tremendous winning run – including their five straight wins in the league – leaves them within two points of Prem leaders Arsenal, meaning a win in Nottingham would take them top of the standings, at least until the Gunners play Brighton & Hove Albion at three o’clock.

The Citizens have made it a habit of overtaking Arsenal in the second half of the Premier League campaign, and they could unleash some bad memories on their London rivals should they end the calendar year on top.

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Preview: Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City - prediction, team news, lineups

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