The Premier League weekend opens with Arsenal welcoming Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium in Saturday’s early kick-off, a clash that pits one of the league’s most consistent performers against a Forest side undergoing sudden upheaval.
Nuno Espirito Santo has been dismissed after a breakdown with owner Evangelos Marinakis, and Ange Postecoglou has been swiftly appointed as his replacement. Postecoglou brings a very different style, as seen at Spurs last season, where his side conceded 65 goals, the fifth-most in the division, and kept only six clean sheets. Forest are unlikely to change overnight given he only took charge on Tuesday, but a more open approach is expected compared to Nuno’s cautious setups.
Arsenal come in with two wins from three matches, backed by strong numbers. They sit on 5.35 xPTS, the fifth highest in the league, and have yet to concede a big chance, ranking third-best for shots in the box allowed. Injuries complicate their build-up, with Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Kai Havertz, Ben White and Christian Norgaard all set to miss out, taking quality away from both attack and defence.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya, Timber, Mosquera, Gabriel, Calafiori, Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice, Madueke, Gyokeres, Eze
Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1) : Sels, Williams, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Sangare, Anderson, Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Wood