Arsenal welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium on Saturday as the 2023-24 Premier League season gets underway.
While the Gunners finished second last season – five points behind champions Manchester City – Forest finished two places and four points above the relegation zone.
Fine-tuning for Forest 👊📺 Step Inside Training as we prepare for Saturday👇— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 10, 2023
Fine-tuning for Forest 👊📺 Step Inside Training as we prepare for Saturday👇
Can Mikel Arteta’s side go all the way this term? Read more: Arsenal – Premier League Preview (2023-24)
Let's start with the hosts, Arsenal, who head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a penalty shootout victory over Man City in the Community Shield.
Following a 101st-minute equaliser from Leandro Trossard, the Gunners defeated Pep Guardiola’s side 4-1 on penalties, with Fabio Vieira netting the winning spot kick.
Arsenal lost just six of their 38 Premier League games last season, picking up 26 wins and six draws along the way. On top of that, Arteta’s men netted an impressive 88 goals.
Although the Gunners faded towards the end of the previous campaign, they will be confident of kick-starting the new season with a victory on Saturday.
As for Nottingham Forest, they managed to win just nine of their 38 league outings last term, recording 11 draws and 18 defeats along the way.
It is also worth noting that Forest picked up a solitary victory in 19 away league games last season, suffering 13 away-day defeats in 2022-23.
As a result, the Tricky Trees finished the previous campaign with the worst away record in the division, having taken a measly eight points from a possible 57 on the road.
To make matters worse for Steve Cooper’s side, they suffered four defeats in seven pre-season friendlies, conceding 10 goals.
Head-to-head: Arsenal thrashed Nottingham Forest 5-0 at the Emirates last term, although Cooper’s men managed to beat the Gunners 1-0 in the reverse fixture.
Believe it or not, Forest have won three of their previous five meetings with Arsenal across all competitions, thanks to a couple of FA Cup triumphs.
Team news: Arsenal look set to start the season without the injured trio of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Mohamed Elneny, with Jorginho is a doubt for Saturday.
On the flip side, Nottingham Forest’s injury list contains Taiwo Awoniyi, Felipe, Omar Richards, Moussa Niakhate and Wayne Hennessey.
Will the Tricky Trees avoid another relegation scrap? Find out more: Nottingham Forest – Premier League Preview (2023-24)
Given what happened when Forest visited the Emirates last season, the visitors will likely endure another tough afternoon in North London.
Forebet predicts that Arsenal will score over 2.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Nottingham Forest.