Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest live updates: Premier League team ...

Arsenal line-up: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Odegaard, Jorginho, Merino; Saka, Jesus, Trossard.

Nottingham Forest line-up: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Ward-Prowse; Elanga, Dominguez, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.

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Afternoon all from the Emirates, where the big thrill in the team news is the return to home turf for Martin Odegaard and the established fitness of Bukayo Saka.

The two keys to Arsenal’s capacity to create and penetrate are an absolute necessity if Arsenal are to relaunch themselves in the league after a frustrating run. Calafiori’s return is also very welcome.

Some of those who played over the recent international break are given a bit more rest, so Havertz and Martinelli are on the bench. Rice is also a substitute, which gives Jorginho a rare start.

If today's game sticks true to the form book in this fixture, it will be a good afternoon for Mikel Arteta and his players.

They have won six of their last seven Premier League games against Nottingham Forest.

Although, the one they didn't win — a 1-0 defeat at the City Ground in May 2023 — was a damaging result as it all but ended their hopes of beating Manchester City to the title.

In the next seven games for Nottingham Forest, it's the toughest run this rejuvenated and confident group of players have faced yet.

Away games do not get any more challenging than visits to the Emirates Stadium today, the Etihad Stadium and Old Trafford, despite Manchester United’s stuttering recent form.

The Gtech Community Stadium does not have the same intimidating history as that trio of trophy-laden venues but Brentford have the best home form in the division, with five wins and a draw from six games.

Their next seven results could define Forest's season. Read more below.

GO FURTHER

Nottingham Forest’s defining seven-match run: The games that will truly test their mettle

The back five, goalkeeper and defenders, is unchanged for Forest.

In midfield, with key playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White not yet fit, James Ward-Prowse comes in to add more steel and bite, with Nico Dominguez expected to move forward to attacking midfield.

The wingers are Elanga and Hudson-Odoi, much as expected, but the name up front is a bit of a surprise.

Taiwo Awoniyi makes just his second start of the season in place of the in-form Wood. The burly Nigerian has only played 107 minutes across eight Premier League appearances so far this campaign.

Arsenal striker Gabriel Jesus hasn't scored a Premier League goal since January (against Nottingham Forest).

Given a start today, will the Brazilian break his 19-game scoreless run in the league against the same opponents today?

Interestingly, given Forest's fine form this season, Mikel Arteta has opted to shuffle his pack after the international break.

As expected Calafiori, returning from injury, replaces the injured Ben White in defence, with Jurrien Timber moving from left-back to right-back.

In midfield, captain Odegaard remains, but Jorginho and Mikel Merino are rotated in for Declan Rice and Thomas Partey.

Gabriel Jesus is given a chance up front in place of Kai Havertz, while Leandro Trossard swaps in for the in-form Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing. Bukayo Saka is fit to play on the right.

Pretty immaculate, as you might expect, though in the above picture from early this morning, they appear to be inspecting it closely with the pitch light.

Maybe Mikel Arteta will work it into his pre-match team talk — remember that infamous 'light bulb' team talk?

Here's who is among the substitutes for both teams.

Arsenal: Neto; Kiwior, Zinchenko, Partey, Rice, Nwaneri, Sterling, Martinelli, Havertz.

Nottingham Forest: Miguel; Williams, da Silva Moreira, Morato, Boly, Toffolo, Jota, Sosa, Wood.

While Nuno Espirito Santo's XI at the Emirates is as follows:

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Yates, Ward-Prowse; Elanga, Dominguez, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi.

Mikel Arteta's side for today's match is below.

Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Jorginho, Merino, Odegaard; Saka, Jesus, Trossard.

Only five minutes until both teams reveal their line-ups for today's match.

How will the international break have affected things?

We'll find out soon enough.

So far, the 2024-25 Premier League season is unfolding in an unexpected manner.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City has lost four consecutive games across all competitions for the first time in his managerial career, while Mikel Arteta’s side are already nine points off the pace in the Premier League.

For both teams, practically every metric — from possession to pass accuracy to shots on goal — has taken a noticeable dive.

So as both clubs wrestle with a new reality of injuries and excuses, missed chances and devastating counter-attacking blows, The Athletic’s Thom Harris and Liam Tharme take to the tactics board to offer some potential solutions. Read more below.

GO FURTHER

Fixing Manchester City and Arsenal: The tactical tweaks that could keep their title hopes alive

Ben White being out for this length of time is a blow for Arsenal, just as it felt they were getting the majority of their squad back fit.

The chemistry down the right flank is fundamental to Arsenal's attacking play and it has already been disrupted by Martin Odegaard's ankle ligament injury which kept him out for two months. White's injury now forces Mikel Arteta to recalibrate his thinking.

Full-back has been the biggest problem area for injuries this season, with Timber, Calafiori, Zinchenko, Tierney and Tomiyasu all missing games. Arteta has only named the same full-back combination in back-to-back Premier League games on three occasions this season.

Timber is the most likely to start at right back against Forest today, and his more conventional skillset should allow him to support Bukayo Saka with overlapping runs.

Timber and Calafiori is the only pairing that has played three consecutive games but both offer Arsenal the ability to invert, dribble and attack the final third, arguably giving Arteta his most fluid and flexible mix of full-backs.

Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Arsenal defender Ben White is going to be out for “months” after White, who had been dealing with multiple issues since the start of the season, underwent a knee procedure during the international break.

“Ben is gonna be out for months unfortunately,” said Arteta in his pre-Nottingham Forest press conference. “We know that Ben is going to push every boundary but it got to a point where we have to protect the player and we decided to do the surgery.”

There was better news on some other fitness doubts, including Leandro Trossard who picked up a hamstring injury with Belgium, England duo Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, and left-back Riccardo Calafiori.

“Trossard seems to be OK,” Arteta added. “He trained this morning and he seems to be feeling good. We will assess everything with the doctor right now. But that’s good. Bukayo and Declan as well. They had the first partial session today. So, very good as well.

“Riccy trained today (Friday). His rehab has gone really well. He was able to do certain things last week with the physios. He trained on the pitch this week, he trained with us today as well. He will be in the squad.”

GO FURTHER

Arsenal defender Ben White out for ‘months’ after knee surgery – Mikel Arteta

The half-time whistle has just sounded at King Power Stadium and Chelsea have taken a deserved 1-0 lead into the break.

The first 35 minutes of the half were all Chelsea and a great finish from Nicolas Jackson put them in front. But Leicester came back into the contest and started to find some joy in the final minutes of the half.

As it stands, Enzo Maresca's side are moving three points clear of Arsenal.

Nottingham Forest preview and which old players should come home?

On the latest episode of Handbrake Off, Amy Lawrence and James McNicholas join Ian Stone to look ahead to Arsenal’s home game against Nottingham Forest today.

We also talk about the news that Patrick Vieira is the new manager of Italian side Genoa, and wonder if this a step on the road towards the dugout at Arsenal for our former captain.

We then answer more of your questions about how the club are faring recruiting youth players, and if there’s a space for Oleksandr Zinchenko in midfield in the future.

Listen in via your preferred podcast platform here!

In the opening months of his first full season in charge, Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo appears to have solved more than one of the problems that had previously held them back: away form, and set-pieces.

This season, only Liverpool (13) have claimed more away points than Forest (11), who today face an Arsenal side yet to lose at the Emirates this term.

Many Forest fans will have been able to recite the numbers involving set pieces, as well as last season's away-day struggles: they conceded the most from set pieces (22), and scored just seven, with only three teams netting fewer.

Now, we are just 11 games into this campaign, but the numbers now suggest Nuno is turning things around when it comes to Forest’s most pressing issues. Here is how.

GO FURTHER

Nuno has banished Nottingham Forest’s two main problems: away form and set pieces

Striker Chris Wood has scored 53.3 per cent of Nottingham Forest's goals in the Premier League this season (eight out of 15) — a figure only bettered by Manchester City's Erling Haaland (54.5 per cent, 12 out of 22).

Are Forest too reliant on their main man in attack?