Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

Emirates Stadium is the venue as Arsenal and Nottingham Forest lock horns in an early Premier League top-four six-pointer.

Arsenal’s hopes of ending a two-decade title drought in the Premier League are in tatters after a gut-wrenching 1-1 draw at Chelsea before the international break left them a whopping nine points adrift of table-topping Liverpool. Furthermore, the Gunners head into proceedings amid a dreadful four-game winless league streak (D2, L2), seeking a much-needed victory to steady the ship. Manager Mikel Arteta can draw heart from Arsenal’s imperious eight-game unbeaten H2H run against Nottingham Forest (W6, D2), including a gutsy 2-1 home win in this corresponding fixture last term. Further confidence comes from Arsenal’s outstanding run of avoiding defeat in 20 consecutive top-flight home matches held on a Saturday (W17, D3) since their last such loss in April 2022.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest relinquished an impressive three-match winning league streak with a disheartening 3-1 defeat at Newcastle United just before the break. Despite that setback, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team spent the two-week hiatus from club football in fifth, level on points with their hosts and third-placed Chelsea. Forest’s away form this season has been remarkable, with no defeat from five Premier League road trips (W3, D2), making them one of only two teams yet to lose in a hostile setting. Despite long odds, Espirito Santo has every reason for optimism, especially considering he has gone unbeaten in three of his four previous managerial visits to the Emirates (W1, D2, L1).