Remarkably only separated by goal difference in the Premier League standings, ailing Arsenal and high-flying Nottingham Forest prepare for an intriguing battle at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta's troops have failed to win any of their last four matches in the top flight, but their visitors also enter the North London battle fresh from their own setback at home to Newcastle United.
Match preview
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Tipped for glory by some before the first ball was kicked in the 2024-25 season, Arsenal are facing a mammoth fight to even make the Champions League places let alone challenge Manchester City and Arne Slot's Liverpool juggernaut for the title if their first 11 games are anything to go by.
The long-awaited return of Martin Odegaard to the Arsenal XI against Chelsea did bump up the Gunners' creativity a tad, as the Norwegian's floated cross was on the money for Gabriel Martinelli to finish, but Pedro Neto was subsequently gifted all the time and space on the Stamford Bridge pitch to crash home the leveller in a 1-1 draw.
A two-week reset could arguably not have come at a better time for Arsenal, who are now nine points off of top spot and are actually only three points clear of Brentford in the bottom half of the standings; needless to say, a winter revival is of paramount importance.
Across all competitions, the only two victories that Arsenal have managed from their last seven matches are an unconvincing Champions League win over Shakhtar Donetsk and EFL Cup slaying of Preston North End, although home is technically still where the heart is.
Indeed, Arteta's men are now unbeaten in each of their last eight Premier League matches at the Emirates Stadium - scoring multiple goals in all but one of those matches - and Saturday's game will be their 250th under Pep Guardiola's protege in all competitions.
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Formerly hailed as one of the best rearguards in Europe, Arsenal head into Saturday's game with a worse defensive record than upcoming foes Nottingham Forest, whose tally of 10 goals shipped is the second-best record of its kind in the league behind leaders Liverpool.
However, Nuno Espirito Santo's troops let in three of those strikes at home to Newcastle in gameweek 11, where Murillo's first-half header preceded a second-half onslaught at the hands of Alexander Isak, Joelinton and Harvey Barnes as Forest lost in the top flight for the first time since late September.
Crystal Palace, Leicester City and West Ham United had all fallen to the Tricky Trees' supremacy before Newcastle clipped Forest's wings, although the fifth-placed visitors will leapfrog Arsenal into the top four with a shock Emirates win, or a draw if Chelsea lose to Leicester City in the lunchtime kickoff.
While Arsenal's unbeaten home run is laudable, Forest head south aiming to protect an outstanding seven-match unbeaten streak on the road in the Premier League, and the Reds have only been behind for a mere 102 minutes and 34 seconds in league action this season.
Forest succumbed to a pair of 2-1 losses to Arsenal in the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, though, and the Gunners have won each of their last five home matches with the Tricky Trees in all competitions since being held to a 1-1 stalemate in 1995.
Team News
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Arsenal boss Arteta said that he would be "praying" for his side to come out of the international break unscathed, but his pleas fell on deaf ears; Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice both pulled out of the England squad, while Leandro Trossard hurt himself while playing for Belgium.
Neither Saka nor Rice should be at risk of missing Saturday's game, and Arteta also had positive updates to share on Riccardo Calafiori (knee) and Leandro Trossard on Friday, but Takehiro Tomiyasu (knee) and Kieran Tierney (hamstring) are still out.
The Gunners must also cope without Ben White for a few months due to surgery, so Jurrien Timber ought to switch back to his favoured right-back role, thus allowing Oleksandr Zinchenko to hold the fort at left-back if Calafiori is not risked.
In contrast, it is as you were on the fitness front for Nottingham Forest, as Santo only has long-term absentees Danilo (ankle) and Ibrahim Sangare (thigh) to worry about, and the latter could even be back at some point this month.
Assessments may have to be undertaken on Murillo and eight-goal striker Chris Wood following their trips to the other side of the globe for World Cup qualifiers, although the former did not earn any minutes on his first Brazil call-up and should be fine to start at the Emirates.
Taiwo Awoniyi would be a competent stand-in for Wood if required, but Santo will do everything in his power to stick with the man who has scored over half of Forest's Premier League goals this season.
Arsenal possible starting lineup:
Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Dominguez, Yates; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
We say: Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Both sets of players should be feeling rejuvenated and ready to go again after a welcome domestic break, and Forest's exceptional away record offers hope of a Tricky Trees surprise at the Emirates.
Any more dropped points on Saturday and Arsenal's title defence may be as good as dead in the water, but with Odegaard pulling the strings again, we have faith in Arteta's men to edge a tight battle and revive their faltering bid for glory.
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Ben Knapton
