Match Preview
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest’s rocky start to the campaign has already brought change in the dugout. Nuno Espirito Santo’s time came to an abrupt end after tensions with the board became irreparable, paving the way for the surprise arrival of former Tottenham boss and Europa League winner Ange Postecoglou earlier this week.
Santo’s dismissal followed growing friction with club owner Evangelos Marinakis and Head of Global Football Edu. In his place, Forest have turned to a coach with proven silverware on his CV, though his philosophy stands in stark contrast to his predecessor’s.
Where Nuno leaned on defensive resilience and quick counterattacks, Postecoglou’s Spurs sides were known for their daring high defensive line and aggressive attacking intent—even if some of his European victories over the likes of Manchester United and Eintracht Frankfurt showed a slightly more pragmatic edge.
It remains to be seen how quickly the Australian coach will impose his style, but he inherits a Forest side with just four points from their opening three matches. Their last outing under Santo was a bruising 3-0 home defeat to West Ham, a result that extended their run without a clean sheet in the Premier League to 11 matches. Forest also haven’t managed a shutout away from home in the league since January 6, although both teams have scored in each of their last eight on the road.
Arsenal, meanwhile, come into this fixture off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Liverpool, decided late on by a spectacular Dominik Szoboszlai free kick. That loss ended the Gunners’ perfect start to the season and reignited debates about Mikel Arteta’s supposedly cautious approach. Yet the statistics told a different story: Arsenal had more shots, more touches inside the Liverpool penalty area, and more passes in the final third, but couldn’t convert their chances.
With Chelsea and Liverpool playing later in the weekend, victory at the Emirates would see Arsenal climb back to the top of the table, at least temporarily. The Gunners also have history on their side—Forest haven’t beaten them away since 1989, a run of 36 years. Arteta also enjoyed a strong record against Postecoglou when the Australian was at Spurs, winning three and drawing one of their meetings.
Arsenal Premier League form:
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Nottingham Forest Premier League form:
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Team News
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Arsenal:
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William Saliba has returned to training after an ankle concern, but Cristian Mosquera—impressive against Liverpool—could keep his place.
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Ben White is close to a return, while Christian Nørgaard is a doubt with a minor problem.
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Gabriel Jesus (ACL), Kai Havertz (knee), and Bukayo Saka (hamstring) remain sidelined.
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Eberechi Eze is expected to make his first Arsenal start after Gabriel Martinelli’s quiet performance at Anfield.
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Nottingham Forest:
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Ola Aina is out after picking up a hamstring injury with Nigeria.
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Oleksandr Zinchenko, on loan from Arsenal, is ineligible to play against his parent club.
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New arrival Nicolo Savona could be thrown straight in at left-back.
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Nicolas Dominguez (knee) is also unavailable.
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Probable Lineups
Arsenal (4-3-3):
Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyökeres, Eze
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1):
Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Yates; McAtee, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
We say: Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest
So far this Premier League campaign, only Sunderland have produced fewer Expected Goals from open play than Arsenal’s modest 1.54. Even their usually reliable set-piece routines faltered during the recent defeat at Liverpool.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, have been far from convincing defensively in recent months. A fresh start under Ange Postecoglou might give the visitors some attacking spark, but their fragile backline is unlikely to withstand Arsenal’s pressure for long. The most they may achieve is a goal of their own, with the Gunners still expected to return to winning form.
