The opening game of the Premier League is replayed in West Bridgford when Nuno Espirito Santo’s side takes on title-chasing Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest host their first Premier League game of 2024, with Mikel Arteta’s team looking for momentum that hopefully takes them back to the top.
In the reverse fixture, Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka both netted before Taiwo Awoniyi pulled a goal back eight minutes from time to make it a nervy finish for the Gunners.
Notably, the Tricky Trees have won all of their last three home games against Arsenal, with two coming in Cup competitions.
The Gunners must avoid an upset at all costs to keep pace with the current leader, Liverpool.
There was one win from their first three matches of the season, yet they looked resilient and much improved from the 2022-23 campaign.
Forest got their first away win at Chelsea in 27 years as their season sparked into life. Still, they failed to win any of their next four matches against Burnley, Manchester City, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Luton Town with four draws and a defeat to the Premier League champions.
Liverpool were 3-nil winners at Anfield but Forest got a morale-boosting win at home to Aston Villa. Since then, the Tricky Trees failed to win any of their next seven matches as Steve Cooper was replaced at the helm by Nuno Espírito Santo.
Nottingham Forest ended 2023 with back-to-back wins to move five points clear of the relegation zone. The last of those was a first against Manchester United in 29 years.
Home games would be critical for the rest of the season and Forest must harness their current momentum.
Arsenal is one of the best teams in the league but their confidence is at a low and they would be keen to assert their bogey team reputation against the Londoners.
Arteta’s side came close to lifting the Premier League title in the 2022-23 season and they prepared for another assault on the league by recruiting smartly over the summer.
That opening-day victory over Forest set the tone for the campaign as they went unbeaten for the first ten games.
However, a very controversial game at Newcastle brought about their first defeat as Anthony Gordon’s winning goal arguably should not have stood. Despite that setback, Arsenal stayed resilient and determined as they churned out results against Burnley, Brentford and Wolves. The test of their concentration levels and mental strength was again on show when Declan Rice’s 97th-minute goal decided a 4-3 thriller at Luton Town.
A lone-goal defeat to Aston Villa was fatal to their hopes but the next league match saw them beat Brighton 2-0. The 1-1 draw at Liverpool was considered a good result given their previous record at Anfield, but Arsenal had a less-than-ideal end to 2023 with consecutive defeats to West Ham and Fulham.
They had been top on Christmas Day and incredibly slipped into fourth on the league standings. Mikel Arteta must now pick his men up as they enter the vital part of the campaign. It is pertinent that they find a solution to their predictability and lack of quality options off the bench.
Forest will be in no mood to offer an easy game, so they must be at their best for maximum points here.
Match tickets
This game occurs at the City Ground and is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM UK time on Tuesday, January 30. Match tickets have been made available for sale on each club’s website for season ticket holders and club members to receive their allocations.
Nottingham Forest would be encouraged by Arsenal’s recent form which means they will try to unruffle the feathers of their opponents. The home crowd is vital to creating an unpleasant atmosphere for the visitors, so you can expect this to be eventful.
Match tickets should thus be challenging to find as the stadium is set to be complete with the Gunners coming to town.
Traveling supporters who need to get their hands on Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal tickets can do so via ticket resale sites.
Team news
Reds defender Felipe and striker Taiwo Awoniyi are absent due to injury, while a remarkable six players are on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations: Moussa Niakhate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Willy Boly, Serge Aurier, Ibrahim Sangare and Ola Aina.
Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, Fabio Vieira and Jurrien Timber are all recovering after surgery. Mohamed Elneny and Takehiro Tomiyasu are also unavailable due to national team duty.
Line-ups
The new Forest manager must quickly implement his style on the team to galvanize the club and fans. News concerning incomings during the January transfer window is yet unknown so current players will have enough chances to impress amidst the several absences.
Anthony Elanga is a man in form having been involved in four goals in his last three Premier League games while he is Forest’s most productive player this season with four goals and six assists.
Nottingham Forest: Turner; Montiel, Worrall, Murillo, Toffolo; Danilo, Yates; Gibbs-White, Dominguez, Elanga; Wood
The Arsenal squad has been stretched recently and new faces will be welcome to boost the dynamics. Fitness permitting, there are likely to be few changes to their primary team for now, with Gabriel Jesus eyeing a start at center-forward.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Kiwior; Rice, Havertz, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Martinelli
Prediction
This is a potentially spicy game with much to play for on either side. They must then take their chances early on. Given the setting and the array of attacking talent on show, goals are guaranteed.
Arsenal must rise to the challenge at a difficult away ground as their title rivals have stolen a march on them. Indeed, the togetherness and maturity since the start of last season must be harnessed and they would be happy with a point.
Nottingham Forest 2-2 Arsenal
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