Mikel Arteta will want to continue the momentum when Arsenal visit Nottingham Forest as he seeks to get closer to the top of the table.
Nuno Espirito Santo will rue his side’s display in the FA Cup fourth-round clash against Bristol City, ending in a goalless draw. Now, Nottingham Forest, who face Arsenal on Tuesday, must play an extra game with the replay, something they have already done in the third round after being unable to find a way through against Blackpool before taking the win in the replay.
In terms of their league form, there is a not to address for Nuno Espirito Santo after their latest defeat at the hands of Brentford. A returning Ivan Toney stirred up controversy following his moving of the ball before scoring the free kick, which infuriated Palace, but VAR suggested they cannot intervene in such matters.
Nuno Espirito Santo has had a decent start to life since replacing Steve Cooper, which includes wins over Newcastle United and Manchester United. Now, they take on an Arsenal side eager to stitch together a good run of results. But the Portuguese manager will want his team to continue their recent good record against the Gunners at City Ground.
Mikel Arteta was trending on social media late Sunday night following a report from Spain which suggested the Gunners boss was ready to call it quits at Arsenal. Sky Sports and other British outlets have since rubbished those stories, insisting the Spaniard remains firmly committed to his cause in North London.
Much like Jurgen Klopp and Xavi Hernandez, Arteta himself did not make the announcement, and those rumours came from Spain and did beg many questions. Regarding football, the Gunners’ boss will want continuity of where they left off against Crystal Palace and keep the momentum when visiting Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners put five past the Eagles, and now Arteta will aim at his first win as Arsenal boss at the City Ground. They have suffered defeats during their recent visits here, especially last season, as Taiwo Awonyi’s solitary strike ended their title challenge.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest still have the most significant AFCON contingent, and all six of Ola Aina, Cheikhou Kouyate, Willy Boly, Serge Aurier, Ibrahim Sangare and Moussa Niakhate will take part in the knockout stages. Taiwo Awonyi and Felipe are missing from action, as the duo are the definitive absentees through fitness concerns.
There are further doubts about Anthony Elanga and Divock Origi. But Nuno Espirito Santo would hope to have the attacking duo play some minutes, if not from the start. Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White might return to the fold after coming on as a second-half substitute against Bristol City.
Nuno Espirito Santo will persist with a back four despite the looming threat of Arsenal’s attack, with Murillo and Andrew Omobamidele at the heart of the defence. With Nuno Tavares on loan at Nottingham Forest, the Arsenal defender is ineligible to play against his former side, so Harry Toffolo could take his left-back slot, while Gonzalo Montiel seems primed to take the other flank.
Ryan Yates and Danilo are best placed to marshall the central midfield for Forest, with Gibbs-White playing the advanced role. Callum Hurson-Odoi and Nicolas Dominguez will likely play in the broad attacking zones, with Chris Wood leading the line.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Turner; Montiel, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo; Yates, Danilo; Hudson-Odoi, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Wood
Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has confirmed the rumours of his exit are fake and suggested he will have to look at his players closely before deciding on his starting lineup for Forest. The win over Crystal Palace did come with some cost, as Gabriel Magalhaes and Declan Rice went off injured.
Arteta insisted Rice had done some work during the period since and could come into contention, but it all seems pretty mixed right now. For now, the England international will be considered to play a role, although there will be caution, considering Arsenal play Liverpool next.
The same goes for Gabriel, who had a knee complaint at the end of the Palace game but is also expected to make the cut. One player who will not feature is Thomas Partey, who returned to full training last week, but Arteta may feel he’s still short of match fitness after a prolonged period out.
As things stand, Arteta may name a similar team that beat Palace, although he might make a late decision on whether to start Leandro Trossard or Gabriel Martinelli. Ideally, he would name the same lineup, meaning the Belgian might cut it.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Havertz; Saka, Jesus, Trossard
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have lost four of their last five games at the City Ground in the Premier League.
- Nottingham Forest have scored at least two goals in their last four matches in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have lost their last three visits to the City Ground in all competitions and failed to score in the last two here.
- Arsenal have only one victory in their last four games across all competitons.
- Arsenal now have a division-high 11-headed goals for the season.
Player to Watch
Oleksandr Zinchenko
The Ukrainian returned to the setup after missing a few games with injury and readily showed what Arsenal have been missing in those clashes. Zinchenko has an influential role in this Gunners setup, and his presence in midfield allows others like Declan Rice to push ahead and join in the attack.
The left-back tends to provide a different edge in games with his incisive passing and positioning on the pitch. Arteta will hope the Palace performance acts as a springboard for Zinchenko to pick up form, especially with some crucial games coming ahead.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal
The Gunners may have answered some questions about finishing in front of goal. But Arsenal must break the Nottingham Forest curse at the City Ground. Mikel Arteta will undoubtedly have the three consecutive losses here on his mind and will want his team to break away from those barriers.
Otherwise, Arteta has a good record against Nuno Espirito Santo and will seek continuity in that aspect. Nottingham Forest have struggled at their home venue for some time, and their latest draw with Blackpool in the FA Cup showed precisely that. Overall, the Gunners are favourites to take three points and put another win in their bag to close the gap up top.
