Manchester City expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany believes that the "fear factor" is returning to Pep Guardiola's side and he is confident that they will prevail against Nottingham Forest in Sunday's FA Cup semi-final.
The Citizens suffered a slender 1-0 away defeat to Forest in the Premier League on March 8, but they have since put together a seven-game unbeaten run across all competitions, winning five and drawing two.
Three consecutive Premier League victories over Crystal Palace (5-2), Everton (2-0) and Aston Villa (2-1), beating the latter on Tuesday, have boosted Man City's hopes of securing a top-five finish and qualifying for next season's Champions League.
In what has been a turbulent 2024-25 campaign for Man City, Guardiola's side could end the season on a high by potentially finishing as high as third in the Premier League and winning the FA Cup.
The Citizens are now gearing up for a record seventh successive FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium, and McInerney is optimistic of success against Forest considering the improvements made by Guardiola's men in recent months.
Speaking to Sports Mole, McInerney said: "I think City are a different side than they were (a few months ago). There are a lot of factors (behind their upturn in form), but I think mainly there's a belief and the pride's come back.
Man City "conviction" and "pride" restored as Pep's men are 'running smarter'
"A lot of the focus has been on the age of Manchester City's midfield and it felt like the obvious touching point given City's players are getting a bit older, a bit more tired and [have] maybe [shown] a lack of hunger.
"But out of nowhere, these players - [Kevin] De Bruyne, Bernardo [Silva], [Ilkay] Gundogan, [Mateo] Kovacic - they've found their legs again, they ran really hard against one of the most aggressive teams in world football right now in [Aston] Villa.
"City looked slow in the winter months because they were doubting themselves, they looked older, looked laboured and a lot of that is entirely down to a lack of belief - there's fatigue of course, but I don't think they're any less tired now, maybe they are a little bit because the injuries have calmed.
"But I think there's more conviction, they found themselves, they're playing smarter, if you can't run quicker you have to run smarter and I think City are doing that.
"I've been really impressed with how City have found themselves a little bit. The resilience has come back to the team and it gives me a lot of confidence against Forest. It just feels a slightly different side from a few weeks back when they beat us 1-0.
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Man City "fear factor" returning at crucial stage in their season
"Guardiola's tweaked the system a little bit, the spirit is back in the team, the older guys are running really well, we're getting the impact off the bench from the wingers. [Omar] Marmoush has been a revelation to City, I would argue, in how he's allowed us to play.
"[James] McAtee's had a few good games, Nico O'Reilly has broken through, it just feels like all the pieces are falling together right now. We're not at our thrilling best and our genius best, but I think the spirit is back in the team and they're becoming hard to beat.
"I would argue the fear factor is coming back step by step and they're picking themselves up, they're building their confidence again and they're looking like Manchester City.
"I'm very confident about this game. I think City have got more than enough belief right now and... I'm expecting this to be a very different game than the last time out."
McInerney does not believe that Guardiola will make too many changes to his starting lineup, adding: "I suspect [the lineup will] be very similar again to what we saw (against Palace and Villa) because Guardiola wants that composure, and because we can't run quite as well, he's trying to find the identity of City again, he's trying to make them pass and move again.
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Man City tipped to secure "reasonably comfortable" win over Forest
"I don't think for one second that Savinho and [Jeremy] Doku have done anything wrong, but Guardiola just wants the control. I think Guardiola loves the idea of what [Bernardo and Gundogan] can do more.
"He wants to play a certain way and the players best suited to it, even if they're older are Bernardo, are Gundogan and so on, so I think Guardiola is going to lean on that.
"I think there's a resilience back and a focus now, and given that we've lost to Forest reasonably recently, I think there's a little bit of retribution to be had there. I think there's a confidence right now and that Aston Villa game could be the springboard for City to play as themselves again."
Predicting the outcome of Sunday's Wembley showdown, McInerney said: "I think City will have enough and I think we'll be fine, I'm expecting City to win this game. I think experience will show here in a good way. I think the familiarity of the setting for City, the results recently, I think it's all pointing towards a City win.
"I think Kevin De Bruyne has got a big game left. I think this is the kind of game where Nico O'Reilly and Marmoush, these guys have that clutch gene. I think they'll step up and I can see City winning this one, it might be close but I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being reasonably comfortable, 3-1 or 2-0 or something like that for City, so I'm confident."
Press play on the video at the top of this article to hear the full discussion ahead of Man City's clash with Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
Oliver Thomas
