Tough Test for Arsenal at the City Ground

In a Premier League matchday seven clash, Nottingham Forest host Arsenal at the City Ground in an 18:30 kick-off. Oliver Glasner's side have endured a difficult start to the campaign, while Mikel Arteta's Arsenal sit second in the table, chasing league leaders Manchester City.

Following the opening six fixtures, Arsenal have collected 15 points (5 wins, 1 defeat) with a goal difference of 10:5, sitting three points adrift of Manchester City. Nottingham Forest find themselves in 15th place with just 5 points (1 win, 2 draws, 3 defeats) and a 5:8 goal difference.

Nottingham Forest's form over their last five league matches highlights significant inconsistency—two defeats (3-1 against Crystal Palace and 1-0 against Coventry), one win (2-1 against Aston Villa), and two draws (0-0 with Tottenham and 2-2 with Liverpool).

Arsenal have won both of their matches in all competitions since the break—securing a 2-1 win over Leeds in the Premier League and a routine 3-0 victory against Lille in the Champions League, bouncing back from a 3-0 loss to Brighton prior to the international break.

In the home camp, Glasner remains without long-term absentees Igor Jesus and Nicolo Savona. Key playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White is a major doubt after sustaining a muscle injury against Crystal Palace and missing most of the week's training sessions. However, Nikola Milenkovic has returned to training and could be in contention for a place in the squad.

For Arsenal, defender William Saliba (back injury), Christos Tzolis (strain), and Piero Hincapie (ankle injury) all remain sidelined. Martin Zubimendi has also been dealing with an ankle problem, but Mikel Arteta noted that his condition is improving and he could feature in the matchday squad. Bukayo Saka, who came off the bench against Lille due to a minor knock, is expected to start at the City Ground.

Recent visits to the City Ground have proven difficult for the Gunners, with their last two trips to the venue ending in 0-0 stalemates (in January 2026 and February 2025). Across the last five meetings between the two sides in all competitions, Arsenal have claimed three victories alongside two draws.

A notable statistic reveals that Nottingham Forest have the lowest shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season, with just 4.7% of their attempts resulting in a goal (5 goals from 10.3 xG). Dan Ndoye is Forest's only player with more than one goal this term (2). For Arsenal, Bukayo Saka has been directly involved in 5 goals in 6 appearances against Forest (3 goals, 2 assists).