Nottingham Forest v Arsenal: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch

Premier League,
Round 7

Nottingham Forest
NOT

18/10/2026
16:30

Arsenal
ARS

City Ground

Michael Oliver

Where to Watch Nottingham Forest v Arsenal: TV and online streams

Nottingham Forest versus Arsenal kicks off at 4:30pm BST on Sunday, October 18 at the City Ground.

The match is live on Sky Sports Main Event in the UK. In the US, it’s on Peacock at 11:30am ET.

Preview for Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Arsenal head to the City Ground needing points to keep pace with Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City.

The Gunners have responded well since the Brighton hammering on September 19. They came from behind to beat Leeds 2-1 at the Emirates and then swept Lille aside 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday. It was goalless at half-time, but Jurriën Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka scored in seven second-half minutes. That made it 14 straight wins in the Champions League league phase, and Arsenal are now level with Barcelona and Sporting CP at the top of the table.

“We have responded really well in the last two games, two very good performances and results, and now we just focus on the game against Forest, which I know is going to be a really tough one,” boss Mikel Arteta said.

Forest’s start under Oliver Glasner has been a struggle. They sit 15th with five points from six games. Glasner has now won just five of his last 29 top-flight matches dating back to December last year, when he was still in charge at Crystal Palace.

Last Sunday’s 3-1 defeat on his return to Selhurst Park summed up their season. Forest had 24 shots and racked up 3.36 expected goals, but Dan Ndoye’s early goal was all they had to show for it. No team in the Premier League has underperformed their expected goals more this season, and Forest have failed to score in three of their six league games.

The underlying numbers do suggest they have been unlucky, though. Forest’s expected points total ranks third in the Premier League, behind only Arsenal and Manchester City, and only Arsenal have conceded fewer expected goals.

Arteta will also be wary of the City Ground. The last two league meetings here both finished goalless, despite 40 shots between the sides. Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Forest, winning three of them.

Premier League Table

Team News for Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Forest have a growing injury list, and the biggest concern is Morgan Gibbs-White. The England international picked up a muscle problem at Palace and has missed most of training this week, so he’s a major doubt. He has been Forest’s key creative player this season, creating seven big chances.

Glasner was already without Nikola Milenković, Nicolò Savona and Igor Jesus. With two centre-backs missing, he has switched to a back three of Ousmane Diomande, Murillo and Jair Cunha. Ola Aina has lost his regular starting spot since that switch.

Arsenal are still without William Saliba, Christos Tzolis and Piero Hincapié, but Martín Zubimendi could return after the knock he picked up in the Leeds warm-down.

Kai Havertz made a big impact off the bench against Lille, setting up Saka’s goal, and he’s pushing for a start. With a trip to Bayern Munich in the Champions League next week, Arteta may rotate, but he’s expected to name a strong side for this one.

Expected line-ups for Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Nottingham Forest: Sels; Cunha, Diomande, Murillo; Muñoz, Schlager, McAtee, Williams; Ndoye, Gibbs-White; Delap

Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Ødegaard, Guimarães, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Eze

Recent Form & Stats for Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

• Arsenal have won nine of their 10 games in all competitions this season.
• Nottingham Forest are 15th with five points from six games.
• Oliver Glasner has won five of his last 29 Premier League matches (D9 L15).
• Forest have scored five league goals this season and have failed to score in three of their six games.
• Forest lost 3-1 at Crystal Palace last weekend despite 24 shots and 3.36 xG.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last five meetings with Forest (W3 D2).
• The last two Premier League meetings at the City Ground both finished 0-0.

Prediction for Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

Arsenal have not been at their fluent best recently but they may not need to be here. This could be a classic Gunners away day – keep it tight at the back and rely on one goal at the other end.

Nottingham Forest

0 – 1

Arsenal

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