As Liverpool edges closer to securing the Premier League title with just one point needed against Tottenham Hotspur at 4:30pm on Sunday, the defending English champions Manchester City have a chance to claim a significant consolation by reaching their third consecutive FA Cup final.

Under Pep Guardiola's nine-year tenure, the Sky Blues have reached at least the final four in all but one season, and by defeating Bournemouth in the quarter-finals, City became the first team to advance to the semi-finals in seven straight years.

The so-called 'visitors' have a 50% win rate in their last six semi-final appearances, with three victories and three defeats, and despite missing Erling Haaland, Guardiola's squad has gained momentum in the spring months.

Manchester City's 2-1 quarter-final win over Bournemouth is part of a strong run, including five wins in their last six matches, with consecutive triumphs against Crystal Palace, Everton, and Aston Villa—where a late Matheus Nunes goal sealed the victory.

With 14 points from their last 18 Premier League games, Guardiola's team is firmly in the race for Champions League spots and remains reliable in the FA Cup, scoring in each of their last 21 matches since a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the 2020-21 semi-finals.

As City aims for a third straight FA Cup final appearance, Nottingham Forest seeks to end a 34-year absence from the event, last reaching the final in 1991, where they lost in extra time to Tottenham Hotspur.

Nuno Espirito Santo's side, also vying for a top-five Premier League finish alongside City, owes much of their progress to penalty shootout success, winning three in a row.

After easily beating Luton Town initially, the Tricky Trees triumphed via penalties against Exeter City, Ipswich Town, and Brighton & Hove Albion, potentially setting up a strategy for spot-kicks in this semi-final.

Like City, Forest arrives in the capital after a 2-1 Premier League win—Santo's team defeated his former club, struggling Tottenham Hotspur, on Monday—and the ex-Spurs manager now eyes emulating his fellow Portuguese, Jose Mourinho, the only one to reach the FA Cup final with Chelsea and Manchester United.

With each team having claimed one Premier League victory over the other this season, Sunday's semi-final promises an exciting contest.

Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Toffolo; Dominguez, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Manchester City possible starting lineup:

Ortega; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Silva, Kovacic, Gundogan; Doku, De Bruyne, Marmoush