Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal

The stakes are high for Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal as they make a must-win journey to the City Ground to take on bottom-half Nottingham Forest.

Held to a dull 0-0 FA Cup draw to second-tier Bristol City, Nottingham Forest return to Premier League action seeking amends for a goal-glutted 3-2 defeat to Brentford last time out. City Ground sets the perfect backdrop for the home side’s bid to post their first top-flight win of 2024 as they grabbed a sensational 2-1 victory against Manchester United in their last home league assignment. Keen to prove it wasn’t just a one-off, especially after four successive defeats beforehand, the ‘Tricky Trees’ can draw confidence from beating Arsenal in their last three competitive H2Hs on home turf, including a narrow 1-0 triumph in this corresponding fixture in 2022/23. Extending that run would see Nuno Espirito Santo piece together back-to-back home league wins for the first time this season.

However, Arsenal have other plans after a 5-0 thrashing of fellow London rivals Fulham last time out reignited their hopes of clutching their first Premier League title in two decades. Despite snapping a three-game winless league streak (D1, L2), the ‘Gunners’ can’t afford to rest on their laurels as they come into this contest searching for their first top-flight victory in the hostile setting since early December. Indeed, Mikel Arteta’s men haven’t won any of their last three away league games (D1, L2), netting under 1.5 goals on each occasion. Bringing other competitions into the equation, they’re winless on their last four travels (D2, L2), accounting for their longest barren run on the road since early 2020.