Arsenal Aims to Break Goal Drought Against Nottingham Forest at City Ground

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be looking to end his team's goalless streak at the City Ground when they face Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The Gunners have failed to score in their last two visits to Nottingham Forest, with both matches ending in 0-0 draws.

Arteta's side has been working to overcome the lessons learned from a disappointing 0-3 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break. However, they returned to winning ways last weekend with a 2-1 victory over Leeds United. Arsenal also secured a comfortable 3-0 home win against Lille in midweek, extending their perfect start in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner experienced a loss in his return to Crystal Palace, where Daichi Kamada's first Premier League goal was not enough to prevent a 3-1 defeat for his new team.

Heading into the weekend fixtures, Arsenal occupied second place in the Premier League standings, three points behind leaders Manchester City. Nottingham Forest were positioned 15th in the league table.

Arsenal's Last Premier League Outing

Arsenal managed to secure a victory against Leeds United, despite falling behind at the Emirates Stadium. James Justin had given Leeds the lead in the 55th minute, but Italy defender Riccardo Calafiori equalized in the 62nd minute after converting a chance from close range. Substitute Bruno Guimaraes then scored the winning goal from the edge of the area just six minutes after coming off the bench, marking his first goal for the club since his move from Newcastle.

Nottingham Forest's Last Premier League Outing

Oliver Glasner, who previously led Crystal Palace to FA Cup and UEFA Conference League triumphs, took charge of Nottingham Forest. His return to Crystal Palace saw Nottingham Forest take an early lead through Dan Ndoye in the third minute. However, Forest failed to capitalize on numerous opportunities to extend their lead. Japan midfielder Daichi Kamada equalized in the 41st minute, and Jefferson Lerma put Crystal Palace ahead in first-half stoppage time. Yeremy Pino sealed the victory for Crystal Palace in the 59th minute.

Managerial Insights

Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager: "We're going to try really hard to score goals and to prevent goals as well. It's going to be a really tough match, they're an extremely well-coached team. We know that, we already have experience with Oliver [Glasner] in the past and they're a team that at home can create a really special momentum, so we are ready for it."

Oliver Glasner, Nottingham Forest manager: "In every game this season [Arsenal] were outrunning the opposition. It's incredible. The effort and the mindset Mikel [Arteta] has created there is incredible. This makes it so tough to play against them and you see it from every single player. They have so many world-class players they can react from the bench."

Prediction

The Opta supercomputer favors Arsenal, giving them a 58.3 percent chance of winning. Nottingham Forest has a 20.4 percent chance of securing a victory, with a draw predicted at 21.3 percent.

Head-to-Head Record

In 109 previous encounters, Arsenal has won 56 times, Nottingham Forest has won 29, and there have been 24 draws.

Last Five Encounters:

• January 17, 2026: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
• September 13, 2025: Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
• February 26, 2025: Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal (Premier League)
• November 23, 2024: Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest (Premier League)
• January 30, 2024: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Arsenal (Premier League)

The last time Nottingham Forest defeated Arsenal was a 1-0 victory at the City Ground in May 2023.

Team News

Nottingham Forest: Striker Igor Jesus and defender Nicolo Savona are unavailable due to injuries. Key playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White is a doubt with a minor muscular problem, while centre-back Nikola Milenkovic is back in training.

Predicted starting XI: Sels (goalkeeper); Aina, Diomande, Murillo; Munoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Gibbs-White, Ndoye; Delap

Arsenal: Winger Christos Tzolis and centre-back William Saliba are unavailable. Midfielder Martin Zubimendi could be fit, but defender Piero Hincapie is likely to miss the match.

Predicted starting XI: Raya (goalkeeper); White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Guimaraes, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Havertz