Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal Premier League preview, team news and prediction

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Arsenal come into this fixture on the back of a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday, just days after Nottingham Forest’s agonizing FA Cup exit to Wrexham. Much like their five-goal demolition of Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, Arsenal made things harder than necessary in midweek, missing opportunities to put a depleted Chelsea side further out of reach. Alejandro Garnacho’s brace off the bench gave Liam Rosenior’s men hope at Stamford Bridge, but Arsenal’s narrow victory puts them in a strong position to reach the final when the tie returns to the Emirates in three weeks’ time.

Wednesday’s win was significant for Mikel Arteta, marking the first time his Arsenal side has won the opening leg of a two-legged semi-final, having failed to do so in his previous eight attempts. The Gunners also dispatched Portsmouth 4-1 in the FA Cup last weekend, providing the perfect response to their frustrating Premier League draw with Liverpool—a result that nonetheless kept them six points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa at the top of the table. With City able to halve that gap by beating Manchester United in Saturday’s early kick-off, Arsenal will be eager to deliver an immediate statement, especially as they have won nine and drawn one of their last ten matches in all competitions.

Arsenal’s away form has been particularly impressive, with five consecutive wins on the road and at least three goals scored in four of those victories, including each of their last three away games.

On the other hand, Nottingham Forest are reeling from their FA Cup heartbreak after being eliminated on penalties by Wrexham, who sent Sean Dyche’s side packing at the first hurdle. A dramatic 3-3 draw led to a tense shootout, where Igor Jesus and Omari Hutchinson were both denied by Arsenal academy graduate Arthur Okonkwo, handing Forest their fifth defeat in six matches across all competitions. Dyche was critical of his team’s poor first-half showing but acknowledged the improved performance after the break, though it was not enough to avoid another setback following their morale-boosting 2-1 Premier League win at West Ham.

That crucial victory lifted Forest to 17th in the table, seven points clear of the relegation zone. However, they now welcome Arsenal to a ground where they have already suffered six Premier League defeats this season—one more than in the entire previous campaign. Forest were also comfortably beaten 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates in September, marking their third consecutive league match without scoring against the Gunners—their longest-ever goalless streak against Saturday’s visitors in the competition.

Arsenal’s William Saliba and Leandro Trossard both overcame recent knocks to start in Wednesday’s semi-final, but Piero Hincapie (thigh), Riccardo Calafiori (muscle), Max Dowman (ankle), and Cristhian Mosquera (ankle) are all set to remain sidelined for several more weeks. Mikel Arteta showed no hesitation in fielding a strong lineup against Chelsea and is expected to do the same at the City Ground, likely saving any major squad rotation for the upcoming Champions League fixture with Inter Milan, which may prove inconsequential.

Viktor Gyokeres, who contributed a goal and an assist at Stamford Bridge, is expected to retain his starting spot ahead of Gabriel Jesus. Meanwhile, FA Cup hat-trick hero Gabriel Martinelli and first-choice goalkeeper David Raya could return to the starting XI.

For Nottingham Forest, Oleksandr Zinchenko is ineligible to face his parent club and is reportedly out of favour, with rumors suggesting his loan could be cut short in January. On a brighter note, Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare are back in contention following their Africa Cup of Nations duties, and Ryan Yates has returned to full training after recovering from a thigh injury, putting him on track to be available for the weekend. However, Chris Wood remains out as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, and goalkeeper John Victor is also sidelined after undergoing a minor procedure on the same area.

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