Key events
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta speaks to TNT. “We had (two breaks, in Dubai and then after the Palace) to work on our concepts… to recharge… to set some goals… we feel really good… we better do our best… (Emile Smith Rowe ) absolutely deserves (to play) … he’s trained really well … now he’s got some consistency … he can now influence the game … (Declan Rice and Gabriel) really put the pressure on because they made themselves available They wanted to be present… it’s a big game for us and they wanted to be present… On this ground you have to play with a lot of personality… you have to assert yourself.”
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo speaks to TNT Sport. “It was difficult… a lot of players were out, injuries… but it’s an honor to be here… we decided to bring (Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga and Felipe), they’re not quite ready, they only had a few. “ meetings… but it’s better to have them around… let’s see how we deal with it… we are aware of the situation (possible point deduction)… to be honest it’s not part of our everyday life… we don’t talk about it … we We decided to ignore it and concentrate on what we have to do, knowing that we will have to face it when the moment comes … we must not allow ourselves to be distracted … there are people in the club who take care of it, it’s our job to play… the fans at the City Ground are great, we rely on them.”
Nottingham Forest make three changes to their starting XI following their goalless draw at Bristol City in the FA Cup. Harry Toffolo, Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White replace Ryan Yates and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who drop to the bench, as well as on-loan Nuno Tavares, who is not eligible to play against his parent club.
Arsenal make three changes after their five-goal win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League. Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe replace Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz, who have to make do with a place on the bench.
The teams
Nottingham Forest: Turner, Montiel, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo, Mangala, Danilo, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Williams, Wood.
Substitutes: Worrall, Awoniyi, Hennessey, Hudson-Odoi, Felipe, Elanga, Yates, Vlachodimos, Aguilera.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Rice, Smith Rowe, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Ramsdale, Nketiah, Kiwior, Cedric, Trossard, Jorginho, Nelson, Havertz, Walters.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
🟡 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔵
🧱 Saliba at the back
⚖️ Smith Rowe in the middle
⚡️ Martinelli on the wingLet’s end January on a high, Gooners ✊ pic.twitter.com/eEhAxWAbnU
– Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 30, 2024
preamble
Nottingham Forest is down here…
…while Arsenal are at the top here…
…so at first glance you would expect Arsenal to easily win this game tonight. Not least because they have beaten Forest in five of their last six meetings in the top flight. HOWEVER. Forest won this game last season, putting the final nail in Arsenal’s title coffin; In fact, they are on a three-game winning streak in all competitions against the Gunners at the City Ground. So both sides have good reason to be confident going into this game if they at least know how important it is some Recent history is on their side. Perhaps it’s recent times that do the trick: Forest’s last Premier League game was a complete 3-2 defeat at Brentford, while Arsenal’s last league game was a 5-0 defeat against Crystal Palace. Usually these two teams score goals one way or another, so that should be fun. Kick-off is at 7:30pm GMT. It’s on!
