This fixture has resulted in back-to-back goalless draws in the last two seasons, with just four goals scored in as many meetings at The City Ground.
Best bets for Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
- Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.90 with 1xBet
- Arsenal to Win and Both Teams to Score (No) at odds of 2.62 with 1xBet
- Bukayo Saka to Score or Assist at odds of 1.90 with 1xBet
Our analysis: Form of both teams
- Score prediction: Nottingham Forest 0-2 Arsenal
- Goalscorers prediction: Arsenal: Saka, Havertz
Nottingham Forest host Arsenal at the City Ground on Sunday in Matchday 7 of the 2026/27 Premier League. The Gunners arrive as an in form side and by quite a margin. Arsenal sit second in the league on 15 points from six games. Last term, they beat Leeds 2-1 at home, despite going 1-0 down.
Wednesday saw Arsenal’s 3-0 Champions League win over Lille. Jurriën Timber, Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka were all on target. So far, their only league defeat of the season was a 3-0 thrashing at Brighton. William Saliba and Christos Tzolis remain out injured, while Piero Hincapié is also a doubt after an ankle problem.
Forest sit 15th on five points, which is a source of frustration for new boss Oliver Glasner. They have lost their last two matches, including a 3-1 loss against Glasner’s former club Crystal Palace.
They are still waiting for a first home win of the season. Igor Jesus, Nikola Milenković and Nicolò Savona are all sidelined for defending champions’ visit. Arsenal have lost just one of their eight Premier League meetings with Forest since the turn of the new millennium.
Probable lineups for Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
Nottingham Forest expected lineup: Sels; Murillo, Diomande, Aina; Williams, McAtee, Schlager, Muñoz; Ndoye, Gibbs-White; Delap
Arsenal expected lineup: Raya; Calafiori, Gabriel, Konsa, White; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Madueke, Ødegaard, Saka; Havertz
A clash of the league’s two tightest defences
This is a meeting of the league’s two best defensive records by xGA. Arsenal sit top on 4.7 and Forest are right behind them at 7.2. Both sides are built to frustrate. Forest should still create chances at home. They rank sixth for xG with 10.6 this season, but the problem is conversion rather than creation.
Their poor conversion rate is why they’ve scored just five goals in six matches. New striker Liam Delap has missed some guilt-edged chances in recent games. Arsenal have conceded only five goals in six league games as well.
We can back two or less goals to be scored at a 53% implied probability, which feels relatively low based on the data. The likelihood of an Under 2.5 Goals bet landing sits around the 57% mark. Their back-to-back goalless draws at The City Ground also feed into this bet.
- Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal Bet 1: Under 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.90 with 1xBet
Forest struggle to find a way past Arsenal
Arsenal have kept a clean sheet in their last four meetings between these sides. Forest haven’t scored against them in that run, which could becomes a psychological hurdle over time. The Gunners also have the division’s best xGA at 4.7. In their last game in the Champions League on Wednesday night., they kept Lille out with relative ease
Forest’s finishing is the weak link in all of this. A whopping 17 big chances missed is the highest figure in the Premier League. The warning is the recent history at this ground. The last two league meetings here both finished 0-0.
We can back Arsenal to win with a clean sheet at a modest 38% implied probability. The Gunners have already achieved this in three of their six EPL games this season, which feels promising, albeit at a small sample size.
- Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal Bet 2: Arsenal to Win and Both Teams to Score (No) at odds of 2.62 with 1xBet
Saka remains the Gunners’ most reliable attacking threat
Bukayo Saka remains Arsenal’s most dangerous attacker. He scored again in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Lille. He also took six shots in the opening Champions League game at Napoli.
His underlying numbers are strong in the Premier League too. Saka posts 0.64 xG per 90 and 0.18 xA per 90. That is a combined 0.82 expected goal contributions per 90 minutes.
Arsenal should see plenty of the ball at the City Ground, allowing Saka to thrive. He is also on set-piece duties and penalties as well. Backing him to score or assist at an implied probability of 53% feels like the value bet from our Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal predictions. His actual output sits closer to 57%.
- Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal Bet 3: Bukayo Saka to Score or Assist at odds of 1.90 with 1xBet