Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

Emirates Stadium is the venue as title-bidding Arsenal take on relegation-linked Nottingham Forest in their 2023/24 Premier League opener.

Despite failing to end a two-decade Premier League title wait last season, a runner-up finish helped Arsenal return to the Champions League after a six-year absence, renewing hope in North London about the club’s long-term prospects. The summer arrivals of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, and Kai Havertz have added to Mikel Arteta’s optimism. A penalty shoot-out win over Manchester City in last weekend’s Community Shield showpiece event set the ‘Gunners’ up perfectly for this fixture. Arsenal’s traditionally strong home starts in the Premier League can offer them more courage, having only lost six of their 20 curtain-raising outings at home (W11, D3). On top of that, Arsenal thumped Forest 5-0 in this corresponding fixture last season, making it four consecutive H2H home victories on the trot.

On the other hand, Nottingham Forest barely avoided relegation in their first Premier League season in 23 years last term, finishing four points clear of 18th-placed Leicester City. Steven Cooper’s side punched above their weight to secure top-flight survival despite being the division’s worst travelers, managing just one win on 19 Premier League road trips in 2022/23 (D5, L13). What’s worse, the ‘Tricky Trees’ only netted 11 goals in those matches, averaging a league-low 0.57 per game. If that’s not worrying enough, Forest conceded a division-high 44 away goals last season, keeping a clean sheet in just two of their 19 league outings on hostile turf. Then, it’s no wonder they start the new campaign among the likeliest candidates to suffer relegation. But they can draw confidence from beating Arsenal 1-0 in their most recent league H2H in May.