Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Arsenal can extend their advantage at the top of the Premier League table with victory at Nottingham Forest.

A stalemate with Liverpool saw Arsenal miss out on the opportunity to move eight points clear of challengers Manchester City and Aston Villa, but back-to-back victories over Portsmouth and Chelsea in the cup competitions have seen them rediscover their winning mojo.

Just two sides have conquered Arsenal this season as they continue to look unflappable in their fight for silverware on four fronts, with Nottingham Forest—then under Ange Postecoglou—simply no match for the north Londoners back in September. Martín Zubbimendi’s surprise brace condemned the Midlands side to a 3–0 defeat.

Arsenal will be hoping for slip-ups from City and Villa across the weekend, the former kicking off Gameweek 22 against fierce vials Manchester United and the latter hosting Everton on Sunday, but they can ill-afford to take their eyes off the prize and must simply focus on their own assignments.

The same can be said of Forest, who have moved seven points clear of the relegation zone but mustn’t relax in their fight for safety. They have won just won of their last five league games—a crucial victory over West Ham United—and will be grateful for any unlikely points in the clash with Arsenal.

What Time Does Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal Kick-Off?

Location: Nottingham, England
Stadium: City Ground
Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Kick-off Time: 5:30 p.m. GMT / 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT
Referee: Michael Oliver
VAR: Darren England

Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Nottingham Forest: 0 wins
Arsenal: 4 wins
Draws: 1

Last meeting: Arsenal 3–0 Nottingham Forest (Sept. 13, 2025)—Premier League

Current Form (All Competitions)

Nottingham Forest	Arsenal
Wrexham 3–3 (4–3p) Nottingham Forest - 09–01–26	Chelsea 2–3 Arsenal - 14–01–26
West Ham 1–2 Nottingham Forest - 06–01–26	Portsmouth 1–4 Arsenal - 11–01–26
Aston Villa 3–1 Nottingham Forest - 03–01–26	Arsenal 0–0 Liverpool - 08–01–26
Nottingham Forest 0–2 Everton - 30–12–25	Bournemouth 2–3 Arsenal - 03–01–26
Nottingham Forest 1–2 Man City - 27–12–25	Arsenal 4–1 Aston Villa - 30–12–25

How to Watch Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal on TV

Country	TV Channel/Live Stream
United Kingdom	TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, discovery+ App
United States	NBC, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, UNIVERSO, UNIVERSO NOW, Peacock, TeleXitos
Canada	DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, Fubo Sports Network Canada
Mexico	FOX Mexico, Max Mexico, TNT Sports, TNT Go

MORE: Full list of Premier League broadcasters around the world

Nottingham Forest Team News

Chris Wood waving. — Chris Wood is still recovering from a knee injury. | Phil Walter/Getty Images

Sean Dyche is not inundated with absentees but will be without a minimum of three players against the table toppers. Chris Wood and John Victor are sidelined with knee injuries, while Oleksandr Zinchenko is ineligible to face his parent club having been loaned in from Arsenal.

In better news, Ryan Yates is in contention to feature having recently returned to training, while Ibrahim Sangaré and Willy Boly are once again available to Dyche having returned from international duty with Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Nottingham Forest Predicted Lineup vs. Arsenal

Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs. Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenković, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Domínguez; Hutchinson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus.

Arsenal Team News

Mikel Arteta has confirmed there are no fresh injuries in his squad following the midweek win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg and hinted at the potential return of previously sidelined players—without naming any names.

Piero Hincapié appears the only possible returnee having suffered a setback in the draw with Liverpool, with Max Dowman, Cristhian Mosquera and Riccardo Calafiori all still sidelined for the journey to Forest.

Arsenal could name a similar side to the one that beat Chelsea, although David Raya and Myles Lewis-Skelly could come into the side for Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ben White respectively.

Arsenal Predicted Lineup vs. Nottingham Forest

Arsenal predicted lineup vs. Nottingham Forest (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Lewis-Skelly; Ødegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Gyökeres, Trossard.

Nottingham Forest vs. Arsenal Score Prediction

Arsenal have been not been in the habit of blowing teams out of the water in the Premier League this season but slip-ups have been incredibly rare, especially against the division’s weaker sides.

Confidence is sky high and Arteta boasts the squad depth and quality to cope with the busy schedule, with Forest set to become their latest victims.

Arsenal’s defence has been slightly more porous in recent weeks but Forest don’t tend to score too many, averaging exactly one per match on the league this term. The Gunners will fancy another clean sheet at the City Ground.