Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal – Betting Tips, Odds & Prediction

Sunday morning kicks off with a scrap at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest try to trip up the Premier League leaders. Arsenal are absolutely flying at the top, while Forest are doing their best to stay clear of the bottom. 

I’ve had a look at the form and the squads to see if there’s any chance of an upset or if the Londoners will just cruise it. Read on, as I reckon I’ve spotted a decent play for anyone looking to use betting sites in NZ this weekend.

Nottingham Forest

Forest have been a bit of a mixed bag lately, but they aren’t in total freefall. 

While they’re sitting in 17th, a 2-1 win over West Ham on January 6 gave them some breathing room. They followed that up with a wild 3-3 draw against Wrexham in the cup, showing they’ve got goals in them but the backline is still a bit of a worry. Forest haven’t managed a clean sheet in their last five league outings, a bit of a concern when you’ve got the league leaders coming to town.

They’ll likely lean on Morgan Gibbs-White to pull the strings, and Igor Jesus will need to be sharp up top too. If they can frustrate Arsenal early on like they did in their 0-0 draw last season, they might have a chance. 

However, without Chris Wood and Ryan Yates, they’re missing a bit of that physical edge in the middle of the park. They need to find a way to stay compact, otherwise Arsenal will just pass them into oblivion.

Team News: Wood and Yates are out with injuries.

Predicted Lineup: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Igor Jesus.

Arsenal

The Gunners are playing some unbelievable football right now. They’re coming off a 3-2 win against Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final, so confidence will be through the roof. Their summer signings have been great too; Martin Zubimendi has slotted in perfectly while Eberechi Eze has also been a revelation, giving them that extra bit of magic in tight spaces.

Crucially, their squad is looking much healthier. Gabriel Jesus is fully back in the fold and made a big impact off the bench against Chelsea after his assist against Portsmouth. Kai Havertz is also fit and available, meaning Mikel Arteta has a proper selection headache up front. 

Even with Viktor Gyokeres’ scoring rate slowing down to five league goals, the way he links up with Saka and Eze makes this attack almost impossible to stop.

Team News: Riccardo Calafiori is sidelined.

Predicted Lineup: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyokeres, Eze.

• Arsenal have won five of their last seven matches against Nottingham Forest.
• Nottingham Forest are seven points clear of the relegation zone as of mid-January.
• Martin Zubimendi scored in the reverse fixture, a 3–0 win for Arsenal.
• Arsenal beat Chelsea 3–2 in their most recent match on January 14.

I’m struggling to see Forest pulling off an upset here. Arsenal are just too clinical and the addition of Zubimendi has made their midfield look impenetrable. Forest’s best bet is to sit deep and hope for a miracle on the counter, but Arsenal’s high press will likely force an error sooner or later.

I’m picking a 2–0 win for the visitors. Arsenal are too professional to slip up in games like this, especially with the momentum they’ve got from that Chelsea win. If you’re looking for where to put your money, keep an eye on betting apps for the best prices. I think the Gunners will control the tempo from start to finish and simply outclass the home side.

Arsenal to Win and Under 3.5 Goals @ $2.10  

I’m going for a slightly safer play here. Arsenal have the best defence in the country and while Forest can be scrappy at the City Ground, I don’t see them breaking through very often. 

Arsenal are happy to get a goal or two and then just keep the ball for the rest of the match. This looks like a clinical away performance where the Gunners get the job done without needing to score four or five.