Match Preview for Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
The opening fixture of Saturday’s Premier League action sees Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest travel to the Emirates to face Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Forest are entering a new era under the former Tottenham boss, who was appointed earlier this week following Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure. Meanwhile, Arsenal are aiming to return to the top of the table after suffering their first defeat of the season against Liverpool last time out.
Forest’s managerial change followed a breakdown in relations between Santo and club president Evangelos Marinakis, reportedly linked to a personal rift with ex-Arsenal sporting director and current Forest Head of Global Football, Edu.
Marinakis has now turned to a coach with a track record of silverware, though Postecoglou’s high-risk, attacking philosophy is a sharp contrast to his predecessor’s defensive style.
Whether the Australian will immediately implement his ideas remains uncertain. Forest arrive with four points from their opening three games and on the back of a damaging 3-0 defeat at home to West Ham.
They have now gone 11 consecutive league matches without a clean sheet, and their last shutout away from home came in January.
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Arsenal, by contrast, are looking to bounce back from a narrow 1-0 loss at Anfield before the international break, where a stunning Dominik Szoboszlai free kick proved the only difference between the two title contenders.
History is also on Arsenal’s side: they have not lost at home to Forest since 1989, and Arteta boasts a strong head-to-head record against Postecoglou, winning three of their four previous meetings.
Team news for Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
Arsenal face uncertainty over William Saliba’s ankle issue. Reports in France suggested he could be sidelined for up to a month but there is a chance he could return sooner, according to reports.
Christian Norgaard is a doubt with a minor problem, while Gabriel Jesus (ACL), Kai Havertz (knee) and Bukayo Saka (hamstring) remain unavailable.
On a more positive note, the international break did not produce any new setbacks, and Eberechi Eze is tipped to start for the first time following Gabriel Martinelli’s underwhelming display against Liverpool.
Forest’s new boss Postecoglou has his own injury concerns. Ola Aina sustained a hamstring injury on international duty with Nigeria, while on-loan Oleksandr Zinchenko cannot feature against his parent club. That may force new signing Nicolo Savona into an immediate debut. Nicolas Dominguez (knee) is also ruled out.
Expected line-ups for Arsenal v Nottingham Forest
Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Yates; McAtee, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
