Arsenal travel to the City Ground on Sunday to conclude the weekend’s Premier League fixtures, with Mikel Arteta’s side aiming to maintain their impressive start to the season. Although the Gunners have yet to consistently reach the heights of their title-winning campaign last year, five victories from their opening six…...
Arsenal travel to the City Ground on Sunday to conclude the weekend’s Premier League fixtures, with Mikel Arteta’s side aiming to maintain their impressive start to the season.
Although the Gunners have yet to consistently reach the heights of their title-winning campaign last year, five victories from their opening six matches have kept them firmly in contention.
They sit second in the standings heading into the weekend, and with league leaders Manchester City facing the prospect of a points deduction, Arsenal could see their position improve without needing to make up much ground on the pitch.
For Nottingham Forest, the priority is turning promising performances into victories. Oliver Glasner’s side remain in the bottom half of the table and need to start collecting points to avoid slipping further down the standings.
Arsenal Edge Forest With A Little
Arsenal have yet to find a consistent rhythm following their defeat to Brighton, but Arteta’s side have continued to grind out results. The Gunners recovered from a slow start to beat Leeds before securing a comfortable Champions League victory over Lille.
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Forest, meanwhile, head into the contest looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats against Coventry City and Crystal Palace. The loss to Palace will be particularly frustrating, as they controlled much of the first half but squandered several opportunities before being punished for their lack of cutting edge.
Recent history suggests Arsenal could face another stubborn afternoon at the City Ground. The Gunners have been held to goalless draws on their previous two visits, while their occasional struggles in front of goal this season could offer Forest encouragement. Apart from the setback against Palace, Forest have generally looked organised defensively and are likely to prioritise keeping Arsenal at bay.
However, Arsenal possess the individual quality to find a breakthrough, even if they have to work hard for it.
Eze in the Spotlight: Eberechi Eze was Arsenal’s standout performer against Lille, using his creativity and tendency to cut inside from the left to trouble the French side. With Christos Tzolis still sidelined through injury, Eze could again prove crucial against Forest. A potential battle with his former Crystal Palace teammate Daniel Muñoz could also present opportunities for the Arsenal midfielder to exploit space, particularly if the Colombian pushes forward from his defensive position.
Raya Could Be Kept Busy: Nottingham Forest have registered 60 shots across their last three matches in all competitions, suggesting David Raya could face a demanding afternoon at the City Ground. Arsenal’s goalkeeper has, however, enjoyed considerable success against Forest, keeping four consecutive clean sheets in his last four meetings with them.
Prediction: Nottingham Forest 0–1 Arsenal
Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal
Forest are dealing with several injury concerns ahead of their clash with Arsenal.
Striker Igor Jesus is ruled out through injury, as is Nicolò Savona, while Nikola Milenković is also unlikely to return after spending several weeks on the sidelines.
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The biggest blow, however, could be the potential absence of Morgan Gibbs-White. Having suffered a minor muscle injury against Crystal Palace, the midfielder’s unavailability would be difficult to overcome. Gibbs-White has created the most big chances (seven) and open-play chances (15) of any Forest player in the league this season, while only Pascal Groß (18) has created more chances overall heading into the weekend.
His absence could open the door for Gustavo Sá to earn a starting role.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (3-4-2-1): Sels; Cunha, Diomande, Murillo; Muñoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Ndoye, Sá; Delap.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest
Arsenal also have several selection concerns to manage ahead of the trip to Nottingham.
William Saliba remains sidelined with a back injury, while Piero Hincapié is unavailable after suffering an ankle problem against Leeds. Christos Tzolis is another absentee, having sustained a hamstring injury while representing Greece during the international break.
Martín Zubimendi is a more uncertain case. The midfielder picked up an injury in the same incident as Hincapié, but his recovery has progressed sufficiently to leave the door open for a possible return.
Should Zubimendi miss out, Declan Rice and Bruno Guimarães could form the midfield partnership in front of a reshuffled defence. Ezri Konsa is expected to join Gabriel Magalhães at centre-back, while Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze could operate behind Kai Havertz in attack.
Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimarães, Rice; Saka, Ødegaard, Eze; Havertz.
Match Details
Location: Nottingham, England
Stadium: City Ground
Date: Sunday, October 18
Kick-off: 4:30 p.m. BST / 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT
Referee: Michael Oliver