Arsenal begin their Carabao Cup campaign on Tuesday night as they welcome an in-form Nottingham Forest team to The Emirates. Forest currently sit in sixth place in the Championship, two points off first place, making them a tricky opponent for Unai Emery’s side.
Sabri Lamouchi’s side are unbeaten in their past nine games in all competitions, with their last defeat coming back in August against West Brom. With plenty of attacking verve in their ranks, the Championship outfit will be hoping to exploit the glaring defensive weaknesses within Arsenal’s side, who narrowly navigated past Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Gunners fell behind inside the first-half but found back at the death to record a 3-2 win at home as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s individual brilliance from a free-kick papered over the cracks in Emery’s side.
Last Meeting
The two sides last met in the FA Cup, with Forest shocking Arsenal with a 4-2 win as Eric Lichaj notched two goals. However, the Gunners come out on top in the grand scheme of things, winning 50 times to Forest’s 27. The sides have drawn 22 times.
Team news as Emery looks to ring the changes
Kieran Tierney and Hector Bellerin both secured 62 minutes of action for the Under-23s against Wolves on Friday night as they near a return to action for the first team. While unlikely to start the match given the magnitude of Monday night’s Premier League clash with Manchester United, the duo could get some more minutes under their belt from the substitutes bench.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is likely to receive a well-earned rest having played an integral part in the opening six league games, securing key goals to ensure the Gunners made up for their defensive frailties. Meanwhile, his strike partner Alexandre Lacazette remains side-lined with an ongoing injury, leaving Gabriel Martinelli in with a chance of starting up top.
Mesut Ozil could feature after missing out against Aston Villa, making up one of the more senior figures within the matchday squad while Callum Chambers is likely to continue having scored a crucial goal in the weekend’s turnaround. Elsewhere, youngsters Nelson, Saka and Smith Rowe are likely to get some minutes.
As for Forest, they will be without former-Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson, who sustained an injury against Preston North End over the international break, leaving him out of action for approximately a month.