Arsenal Eye Gyokeres Boost as They Prepare to Battle Nottingham Forest
Arsenal's quest for their first Premier League championship in more than twenty years progresses as they travel to face Nottingham Forest this Saturday.
The North London side could potentially extend their lead to nine points at the top by weekend's end—though this scenario would require them to defeat Forest while both Manchester City and Aston Villa suffer losses—but their primary focus remains securing three points at the City Ground.
Arsenal dominated the earlier meeting between these teams, and their commanding performances in recent matches indicate another Premier League victory is likely.
Following triumphs over Portsmouth in the FA Cup and Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Mikel Arteta faces difficult team selection decisions for this Midlands clash—particularly with a crucial midweek Champions League fixture against Inter Milan looming.
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest (4-3-3)
Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest (4-3-3)
GK: David Raya—After sitting out both cup fixtures, with Kepa Arrizabalaga taking his place in goal, Raya will return to the starting eleven. The 30-year-old recently secured the Premier League Save of the Month award for December, earning a record-tying third recognition.
RB: Jurriën Timber—The Dutch defender has been rock-solid throughout this campaign and will aim to maintain that standard against winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. Timber contributed to Arsenal's clean sheet in the previous encounter as the Gunners secured a 3–0 victory.
CB: William Saliba—Igor Jesus has troubled central defenders this season, despite lacking his clinical finishing touch. Saliba represents his toughest test yet, with the French defender rarely losing individual battles.
CB: Gabriel Magalhães—Forest have struggled defensively from set pieces this campaign, with only Bournemouth allowing more goals from dead-ball situations (excluding spot kicks). Gabriel will relish the opportunity to exploit this weakness further.
LB: Myles Lewis-Skelly—With Piero Hincapié uncertain and Riccardo Calafiori unavailable, Lewis-Skelly gets an opportunity to show Arteta why he was the preferred left-back option during the latter part of last season.
CM: Martin Ødegaard—Arsenal's captain has performed at an excellent standard throughout the holiday fixtures, quieting many critics. However, Arteta will want to see more attacking returns from the Norwegian playmaker.
CM: Martín Zubimendi—Zubimendi netted twice in the previous meeting, the opener being a spectacular strike and the second a well-executed header. The Spanish midfielder also found the net in the midweek victory over Chelsea.
CM: Declan Rice—Arsenal's dynamic central midfielder typically makes a significant contribution whenever he takes the field, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him influence Saturday's away fixture in the Midlands.
RW: Bukayo Saka—The England international got the better of Marc Cucurella in midweek and Neco Williams will be concerned about facing a similar challenge on Saturday. Saka has registered three goals and two assists across five league encounters with Forest.
ST: Viktor Gyökeres—Arsenal will be hoping Gyökeres's positive midweek showing wasn't a one-off performance, as the Swedish striker remains under scrutiny to deliver more in terms of finishing and overall combination play.
LW: Leandro Trossard—Gabriel Martinelli's FA Cup treble against Portsmouth might not be sufficient to unseat the consistent Trossard, who remains Arteta's favored option on the left wing.
