Two teams that have fallen further away from the title race will meet in a crunch clash as Arsenal and Nottingham Forest hope to consolidate their current positions.
Nottingham Forest have had a bit of a wobble ever since crushing 7-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion a few weeks ago as they get set to host Arsenal at the City Ground on Wednesday. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side seemed like they would keep up a level-headed distance with league leaders Liverpool and second-placed Arsenal, but their last two games have been a setback of sorts.
Forest followed the win over Brighton with a 2-1 loss away to Fulham and then succumbed to Newcastle United on the road at the weekend. Espirito Santo’s side did look lively in the second half against the Magpies as they staged a comeback of sorts only to fall short in the end, as the game ended 4-3 in the Tyneside outfit’s favour.
In any case, with the season into the last third, Nuno Espirito Santo will now want to seal a UEFA Champions League spot, which some may have argued was out of scope for them to even dream about. Still, things have been brilliant under the Portuguese manager.
As they get set to host second-placed Arsenal, Nottingham Forest will hope to consolidate their place in the top three, and even look to get three points off the Gunners. While the Tricky Trees have been brilliant for large parts of the season, they have not been as good against the Big Six sides, barring Liverpool and Manchester United. However, Espirito Santo will sense an opportunity over the under-pressure north London side.
Meanwhile, Arsenal shot themselves in the foot with a terrible result against West Ham United at the Emirates on Saturday. The midweek draw between Aston Villa and Liverpool did open the door slightly for Mikel Arteta’s side to re-enter the title race in a big way. However, the gap is now an unprecedented 11 points after their loss at the weekend, with Liverpool winning at the Etihad for the first time in over a decade.
Arteta insisted his team would continue fighting, although their result against West Ham exposed a lot of their problems in the final third. The Gunners continue to miss a host of their key attackers, as they will have to manouvre their way out of this Forest clash as they will want to keep an unlikely title chase alive with a win away from home.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
Nuno Espirito Santo will be happy with his side’s fitness levels as only backup goalkeeper Carlos Miguel misses out with a hamstring problem. It does leave the Nottingham Forest manager with a selection dilemma ahead of the game against Arsenal, as the Portuguese forward will name his strongest possible lineup.
On the tactical side, Espirito Santo has the tools to play with a back three, something the Gunners struggled with this past weekend against West Ham United. However, the Portuguese tactician might continue to set up more familiarly with a back four in place, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo being his central defenders. Ola Aina will continue at right-back, with Neco Williams on the other side.
Ryan Yates and Elliot Anderson are the preferred central midfield pairing for Espirito Santo, with Morgan Gibbs-White in his customary attacking midfield role. Flying wingers Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi are the likely choices in the wide roles, with top scorer Chris Wood leading the line for Nottingham Forest against Arsenal.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Yates, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Arsenal
Arsenal’s loss to West Ham United did create a fresh problem, with Ethan Nwaneri limping off in the second half. Mikel Arteta has since allayed the fears and insisted the teenage attacker only suffered from cramps, and he will be available. So, the 17-year-old will continue to take his place on the right side of the front three.
Speaking of teenagers, Myles Lewis-Skelly will miss this trip to take on Nottingham Forest following his red card against West Ham. While it was a straight red, the 18-year-old will only miss one match as his offence was a tactical one rather than serious foul play. Riccardo Calafiori should be in line to start, although Oleksandr Zinchenko could be a tactical option should Arteta deem it that way.
Beyond that, Arteta might bring in Raheem Sterling in place of Mikel Merino, which could see either the English winger or Leandro Trossard move into a central role in the front three. That aside, the Arsenal boss is not expected to make any more changes against Nottingham Forest, although Ben White might be pushing for a starting berth at right-back.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Raya; Ben White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Nwaneri, Trossard, Sterling
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have lost their last two Premier League games.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last two games at home in the Premier League.
- Arsenal have won their last three matches against Nottingham Forest in all competitions.
- Arsenal are unbeaten in their last eight games away from home.
- Chris Wood has been involved in six goals in his last three Premier League home games (G5 A1), netting a hat-trick against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out. It is the first time he’s scored in three home games in a row in the competition.
Player to Watch
Martin Odegaard
The Arsenal captain came in for a lot of stick following his performance against West Ham United. The Norwegian playmaker has not had the best of seasons this time, and an early injury in the campaign might have had a long-term effect on his displays.
He did create four good chances against West Ham, and there is an overall consensus that he needs to step up, particularly as Arsenal are missing many key attackers ahead of the visit to Nottingham Forest. As Arsenal are showing signs of a lack of quality in the final third, Odegaard must bring his A-game to the pitch and help the team maintain their levels even if they are not the least favourites to mount a title race.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal
Nottingham Forest did show a bit of character in their loss to Newcastle United, but they also exposed themselves in the first half to let the Magpies score those many goals. In any case, Forest are beginning to show signs of pressure as their place in the top three could be under threat following back-to-back losses in the Premier League, and that run might continue.
Arsenal are also coming on the back of a morale-sapping defeat, and the loss to West Ham may have laid their title hopes to rest. In any case, Mikel Arteta’s side are not expected to begin a dreadful run of form, and they are swiftly expected to get back on track with a slender win away at Forest, which will certainly not come easy. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Arteta and his charges.
