Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest Preview, Lineups, Team News and Odds

The Gunners have won two of their first three matches, including a 5:0 thrashing of Leeds, but come off a 1:0 loss to Liverpool.

Forest started with a 3:1 win over Brentford but recently suffered a 3:0 defeat to West Ham. Arsenal have dominated recent meetings, winning three of the last five encounters, though their last meeting ended 0:0.

Arsenal will welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium for their Premier League Round 4 fixture on Saturday, September 13, 2025, with kickoff scheduled for 12:30. The match will be officiated by Darren England as both teams look to build momentum in the early stages of the 2025/2026 campaign.

Arsenal currently sit third in the table with six points from three matches, while Forest occupy tenth position with four points, making this an intriguing mid-table clash.

Arsenal (4-3-3, Mikel Arteta)
Goalkeeper: David Raya (1)
Defence: Jurrien Timber (12), Gabriel (6), Riccardo Calafiori (33), Myles Lewis-Skelly (49)
Midfield: Mikel Merino (23), Martin Zubimendi (36), Declan Rice (41)
Forward: Noni Madueke (20), Viktor Gyoekeres (14), Eberechi Eze (10)
Absent: William Saliba (2), Christian Noergaard (16), Bukayo Saka (7), Takehiro Tomiyasu (18), Gabriel Jesus (9), Kai Havertz (29), Ben White (4)

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1, Ange Postecoglou)
Goalkeeper: Matz Sels (26)
Defence: Nicolo Savona (37), Nikola Milenkovic (31), Murillo (5), Neco Williams (3)
Midfield: Douglas Luiz (12), Elliot Anderson (8), Dan Ndoye (14), Morgan Gibbs-White (10), Callum Hudson-Odoi (7)
Forward: Chris Wood (11)
Absent: Ola Aina (34), Nicolas Dominguez (16)
Doubtful: Oleksandr Zinchenko (35)

Arsenal and Nottingham Forest have faced each other five times in recent Premier League encounters, with the Gunners holding a slight edge with three wins compared to Forest's one victory and one draw. Bukayo Saka has been particularly influential in these matchups, scoring three goals across the fixtures.

The most recent meeting ended in a goalless draw at the City Ground on February 26, 2025, while Arsenal's last home game against Forest resulted in a comfortable 3-0 win in November 2024, with goals from Saka, Thomas Partey, and Ethan Nwaneri.

Arsenal have had a mixed start to their Premier League campaign, winning two of their opening three matches. They began with an impressive 1:0 away victory against Manchester United on August 17, followed by a dominant 5:0 thrashing of Leeds United at home on August 23, where Viktor Gyoekeres scored twice, including a penalty. However, their momentum was halted with a 1:0 defeat at Liverpool on August 31.

Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, started their season with a convincing 3:1 home win against Brentford on August 17, with Chris Wood netting twice. They followed this with a 1:1 draw at Crystal Palace on August 24 before suffering a 3:0 home defeat to West Ham United on August 31. Forest's pre-season form included two goalless draws against Fiorentina and Al Qadasiya. Arsenal currently sit third in the league with six points, while Forest are in tenth with four points, making this upcoming clash crucial for both teams' early-season aspirations.