Nottingham Forest have had a pre-season to forget while Arsenal have kicked off their season with a title.
The Gunners scored a last-gasp 111th-minute goal to send the FA Community Shield match versus Manchester City to penalties, where they beat the reigning Premier League champions. As they return to the Emirates expecting a hero’s welcome, they will also be intent on putting on a show for the fans who will be filling every corner of the 60,700-capacity Emirates stadium.
Things are not going to be the same for both teams come Saturday 12 August, 2023. For one, the Tricky Trees will be dressed in Adidas kits like their host, as a throwback to the eras when they were a force in English football’s top division.
Their new look in a new season of the Premier League is geared towards reigniting that fire from the days of Brian Clough. However, they will face a tough test against a new-look Arsenal, who have already started the season on a high.
The new look Arsenal features a collection of players who, on paper, look like a mess. But as Mikel Arteta has shown in the pre-season games and in their Community Shield win over Manchester City, the chaos can yield results.
Arsenal could be without a center-forward for the game because of Gabriel Jesus’ injury. They have Folarin Balogun (who wants out) and Eddie Nketiah but it is unlikely that Arteta will show enough confidence in these youngsters to start them in the league.
One interesting change that could be finalized before Forest takes to the Emirates pitch is in goal. Arsenal have started to show less confidence in Aaron Ramsdale and for that reason, have finalized a move to bring in David Raya from Brentford.
This leaves backup goalkeeper Matt Turner in limbo. But according to reports, the American could be in goal against Arsenal when Forest comes visiting on 12 August.
The battle for the number 1 spot at Arsenal will become tense and it will be interesting to see who Arteta picks to start against Forest. Fans may well be witnessing a change of guard from the English goalkeeper to the Spanish goalkeeper, who has the exact attributes that Arteta wants.
While Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest does not sound too exciting, it is a match that will mean a lot to fans who have waited for league football action.
Match Tickets
Tickets to Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest will, no doubt, be sold out by now thanks to Arsenal’s performance at the weekend in the Community Shield.
It will be their return to the Emirates and the Gooners will be out in full force to welcome their triumphant warriors, who finally got one over a Manchester City side that has caused them so much pain in recent memory.
The match is scheduled for the early kickoff of the games slated for Saturday 12 August 2023. 12:30 PM is the time and it will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and on other broadcast partners around the world. Tickets for the match have already gone up on sale on each club’s website.
Nottingham Forest fans may find it difficult to procure tickets for the game because it is an away game. This is where the services of ticket resellers will come in.
Team news
Mikel Arteta has already made it clear that his new signings – Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz – are not for show.
All three started in the Gunners’ Community Shield win against Manchester City last Sunday. For this reason, they are expected to make their Premier League debuts against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 12 August.
Declan Rice is expected to start if others do not because the North London club have lost Granit Xhaka to Bayer 04 Leverkusen, managed by Arteta’s long-time friend, Xabi Alonso.
Gabriel Jesus is being fast-tracked for a return on Arsenal’s first league game but news also indicates that he could miss the first few weeks of the season.
Arsenal will be boosted by the return of Jorginho to the team as the Italian is set to recover on time from a muscle issue ahead of their meeting with Forest. Balogun – who could be sold before the game – and Oleksandr Zinchenko will also return to the squad, giving Arteta more options against Steve Cooper.
The Welshman, on the other hand, has only Felipe to worry about. The Brazilian defender is nursing a knee injury, leaving Nottingham Forest one squad member down as the challenge of Arsenal draws near. Taiwo Awoniyi will lead the line for Forest.
Lineups
Mikel Arteta is going to play with a lot of formations this season like his mentor Pep Guardiola plans to do at Manchester City. The acquisition of Kai Havertz especially points to this fact.
The German is a tricky player to work with as his best position tends to give managers a headache. He is skillful enough to play as a center-forward but not fast enough. This makes him the perfect support striker or an advanced number 8.
Arteta does not play with an advanced number 8 but has gone ahead to acquire a player who requires him to do so. Against Nottingham Forest, however, Arteta will likely stick to his core as it is the first game of the season and a win is important.
Arsenal: Ramsdale; Zinchenko, Saliba, Gabriel, White; Partey, Rice; Saka, Ødegaard, Trossard; Martinelli
In the meantime, Steve Cooper has stuck to his trusty 3-4-2-1 formation with Nigerian striker Taiwo Awoniyi as the focal point and supported by Brennan Johnson and Gibbs-White. However, we could be seeing the introduction of former Manchester United winger Anthony Elanga and new left-back Ola Aina to the starting XI for Cooper’s team.
Forest will be largely unchanged from how they were last season as Elanga and Aina are the only two new additions to the side. Their European and Premier League experience could come in handy against Arsenal.
Forest: Hennessey; Boly, Niakhaté, Worall; Aina, Mangala, Yates, Aurier; Johnson, Gibbs-White; Awoniyi
Prediction
Over two legs, both teams beat each other once. At the Emirates, it was a five-nil thrashing by Arsenal. But with the threat of relegation looming, Nottingham Forest mustered everything they had to secure a one-nil win in the reverse fixture.
The 2023/24 season is going to start the same way it did for both teams: Arsenal gets the easy run while Forest gets the tough ones.
Another thrashing will not be far-fetched but it is highly unlikely. This is because Arsenal are defensively fragile at the moment.
The odds are in Arsenal’s favour but a clean sheet is not. The lack of a central striker for Arsenal like Jesus could also play into Forest’s hands. The game will be tight for the Gunners but after their customary early goal, the game will settle into the ebb and flow that Arteta’s side are used to performing in.
The Tricky Trees will be lucky to escape the summer afternoon with a two-goal margin of defeat.
Arsenal 3-1 Nottingham Forest.