Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest clash should be a thrilling one as the Gunners are hoping to get back to winning ways in the 2025/26 Premier League when they host a rejuvenated Nottingham Forest side at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, September 13.
Having suffered a narrow defeat to Liverpool in their last Premier League game, the Gunners will be determined to regain their winning momentum in front of their home fans, but are set to face a stern challenge against a familiar foe.
Indeed, this is also going to be Nottingham Forest’s first match since the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss has taken over the role following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo from the position, as Postecoglou will look to kick off his era at Nottingham Forest with a decisive win over his former rivals.
Arsenal need a big win to get right back into the thick of things in the Premier League title race and ensure they don’t fall further behind Liverpool or Chelsea in the title race. However, they will need to be at their clinical best to defeat this confident and dangerous Nottingham Forest side, who will take the fight to the Gunners at their own yard.
Here, we look at some key factors to consider for the Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest clash.
Can Eberechi Eze Stand Out In Emirates Stadium Debut For Arsenal?
All eyes will on Arsenal midfielder Eberechi Eze in this upcoming clash as the Englishman is set to make his home debut in front of the Emirates Stadium faithful since joining Arsenal. After a cameo against Liverpool, Eze should get to start in this game and will need to come up with something special to endear himself with the Arsenal fans from the get-go.
Eze enjoyed a prolific 2024-25 season with Crystal Palace, which saw him score eight goals and provide eight assists in 34 Premier League matches as well! He boasts a decent record against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, having two goal contributions (one goal, one assist) in five Premier League games against them.
However, Eze wasn’t ever able to guide Crystal Palace to a win over Forest in the Premier League. He aims to end that drought at Arsenal. Eze will look to use his clever ball-carrying and dribbling skills to drive Arsenal forward, but needs to be particularly clinical with his shooting and final passes to enhance Arsenal’s goal-scoring threat.
How Can Ange Postecoglou Outwit Arsenal to win his first Nottingham Forest match?
Ange Postecoglou has been appointed as the new Nottingham Forest boss just before a really challenging match.
Incidentally, Postecoglou actually has a pretty dismal record when it comes to managing his team against Arsenal. Under him, Spurs lost three of their four North London derbies against the Gunners and he was not able to guide them to a single win over Mikel Arteta’s side in four games.
Postecoglou now faces a gritty Arsenal side that has only conceded one goal in the 2025/26 Premier League, that too an amazing Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick.
Postecoglou is known for his aggressive defensive high line and for encouraging fearless attacking football, but he must be smart with his application to inspire Nottingham Forest to a win at the Emirates Stadium.
He needs to energise his players to be confident and prolific in the counter-attacks, being especially quick and innovative on the transitions to confuse the Arsenal players.
He will need his wingers to be perfect with their forward movement to drive Forest forward and for his players to finish off chances clinically as well.
Postecoglou’s side must also maintain a stronger defensive line to frustrate the dangerous Arsenal frontline and need to motivate his side to be agile and proactive on both sides of the pitch to snatch a win.
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Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineups
Because of the high stakes of the Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest clash, both Arteta and Postecoglou will be determined to field their strongest lineups possible/
Here, we look at the possible starting XIs for the Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest game:
Arsenal Predicted XI: David Raya, Jurrien Timber, Ben White, Gabriel Magalhaes, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres
Nottingham Forest Predicted XI: Matz Sels, Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murrillo, Neco Williams, Douglas Luiz, Elliott Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Dan Ndoye, Omari Hutchinson, Chris Wood
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Crystal Pix
Recording Date: 06.06.2025