Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo speaks to TNT Sport. “It has been hard … a lot of players out, injuries … but it is an honour to be here … we decided to bring [Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga and Felipe], they are not totally ready, they have only had a couple of sessions … but it is better to have them around … let’s see how we manage them … we are aware of the [potential points deduction] situation … to be honest it is not part of our day … we don’t speak about it … we have decided to try and ignore it and focus on what we have to do, knowing that when the moment comes we have to face it … we cannot get distracted … there are people at the club taking care of that, it is our job to play … the supporters at the City Ground are amazing, we rely on them.”
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal: Premier League – live
Nottingham Forest make three changes to their starting XI after the goalless draw at Bristol City in the FA Cup. Harry Toffolo, Neco Williams and Morgan Gibbs-White replace Ryan Yates and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who drop to the bench, and the on-loan Nuno Tavares, who is ineligible against his parent club.
Arsenal make three changes after the five-goal Premier League thumping of Crystal Palace. Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe replace Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz, who have to make do with a place on the bench.
Nottingham Forest: Turner, Montiel, Omobamidele, Murillo, Toffolo, Mangala, Danilo, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Williams, Wood.
Subs: Worrall, Awoniyi, Hennessey, Hudson-Odoi, Felipe, Elanga, Yates, Vlachodimos, Aguilera.
Arsenal: Raya, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Odegaard, Rice, Smith Rowe, Saka, Gabriel Jesus, Martinelli.
Subs: Ramsdale, Nketiah, Kiwior, Cedric, Trossard, Jorginho, Nelson, Havertz, Walters.
Referee: Simon Hooper (Wiltshire).
Your Reds to take on @Arsenal 👊
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) January 30, 2024
🟡 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔵
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 30, 2024
🧱 Saliba at the back
⚖️ Smith Rowe in the middle
⚡️ Martinelli on the wing
Let's end January on a high, Gooners ✊ pic.twitter.com/eEhAxWAbnU
Nottingham Forest are all the way down here …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Nottm Forest | 21 | -12 | 20 |
| 17 | Everton | 21 | -4 | 17 |
| 18 | Luton | 20 | -14 | 16 |
| 19 | Burnley | 21 | -21 | 12 |
| 20 | Sheff Utd | 21 | -34 | 10 |
… while Arsenal are all the way up here …
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 21 | 29 | 48 |
| 2 | Man City | 20 | 25 | 43 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 21 | 22 | 43 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 21 | 16 | 43 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 21 | 13 | 40 |
… so at first glance you’d expect Arsenal to win this one easily enough tonight. Not least because they’ve beaten Forest in five of their last six meetings in the top flight. HOWEVER. Forest won this fixture last season, hammering the final nail in Arsenal’s title coffin; indeed they’re on a three-game winning run against the Gunners at the City Ground in all competitions. So both sides have good reason to go into this match with confidence, knowing the weight of at least some recent history is on their side. Perhaps it’s the super-recent that will tip it: Forest’s last Premier League match was a topsy-turvy 3-2 defeat at Brentford, while Arsenal’s previous league game was that 5-0 rout of Crystal Palace. These two teams usually serve up goals, one way or another, so this should be fun. Kick off is at 7.30pm GMT. It’s on!