Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal kicks off on 18 Oct 2026 at 11:30 EST and 15:30 GMT.
Gunners head to Forest after returning to winning ways
Mikel Arteta and Arsenal had to stew over a 3-0 defeat to Brighton for the entire three-week international break. They responded in perfect fashion by claiming a 2-1 win on Saturday against a Leeds side that hadn’t been beaten prior to the weekend. The Gunners had to recover from a sloppy first-half display, and then a Leeds goal on 55 minutes, before roaring back to win with goals from Riccardo Calafiori and substitute Bruno Guimaraes. They then dispatched Lille 3-0 in the Champions League with goals from Eberechi Eze, Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka.
Getty ImagesForest haven’t gotten going yet
The Tricky Trees have made a patchy start to life under new boss Pierre Sage. They’ve claimed five points from their opening six matches, but lost each of their last two. Strangely, they’re winless at home across all competitions this season, with defeats to Coventry and Leeds, and a 0-0 draw with beleaguered Tottenham. Sage will bemoan his side’s lack of clinical edge after they created eight big chances but still contrived to lose 3-1 at Crystal Palace. Forest will hope to make things difficult for the champions here after keeping shutouts against the Gunners in their last two Premier League H2Hs at this venue.
Getty ImagesKey stats & injury news
- Forest trio Igor Jesus, Nikola Milenkovic and Nicolo Savona miss out through injury.
- Arsenal are still without William Saliba and Christos Tzolis, but otherwise they have a clean bill of health.
- Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet in all of their last three matches across all competitions.
- The last two Premier League meetings between these sides at the City Ground have ended 0-0.
Getty ImagesTeam news & squads
Oliver Glasner is without Igor Jesus, Nikola Milenkovic, and Nicolo Savona through injury, with no suspensions currently affecting his squad. Updates on the probable lineup will be added closer to kick-off.
Mikel Arteta must plan without William Saliba and Christos Tzolis, both listed as injured. No suspensions are recorded for the away side, and further squad updates will follow ahead of the match.
Form
Nottingham Forest have recorded one win, two draws, and two losses across their last five competitive matches. Their most recent Premier League outing ended in a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, and they also lost 1-0 to Coventry City in the league. Forest’s sole win in that run came with a 2-1 away victory at Aston Villa, and they drew 0-0 with Tottenham and 2-2 with Liverpool. Across those five games, Forest scored five goals and conceded six.
Arsenal have won three, lost one, and have no draws across their last five competitive fixtures. Their most recent match was a 2-1 Premier League win over Leeds United, and they also recorded a 2-4 Carabao Cup victory against Ipswich Town. The Gunners’ only defeat in that period was a 3-0 loss to Brighton. Over five matches, Arsenal scored ten goals and conceded four.
Head-to-Head Record
The most recent meeting between these two sides at the City Ground ended 0-0 on January 17, 2026, in the Premier League. Across the last five head-to-head fixtures, Arsenal have won three times, with two matches finishing level and Forest yet to record a victory in that sequence. Arsenal’s wins include two 3-0 victories at the Emirates and a 2-1 win at the City Ground in January 2024, with the two goalless draws both played in Nottingham.
Standings
Arsenal sit second in the Premier League table, firmly in the title conversation, while Nottingham Forest are 14th, making this a meeting between a side with genuine top-of-the-table ambitions and one looking to climb away from the division’s lower reaches.
