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2023/24 English Premier League
Matchday 22
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
City Ground
West Bridgford, England
Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Kick-off is at 21h30 CAT
Arsenal will be looking to build off their joint-biggest win of the season when they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Tuesday, January 30.
The Gunners thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0 at the Emirates Stadium on January 20 to halt a three-match winless run and climb up to third in the
Premier League standings.
Mikel Arteta's side are locked in a three-way with Manchester City (2nd) and Aston Villa (4th) on 43 points, with the trio trailing Liverpool by five after the league leaders dispatched Bournemouth 4-0 at the Vitality Stadium on January 21.
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The Tricky Trees began the New Year with a 3-2 defeat to Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on January 20, having won back-to-back games against Newcastle (3-1) and Manchester United (2-1) at the end of 2023.
Forest dropped to 16th position as the Bees overtook them and Palace (15th) into 14th spot, while Everton (17th) are just three points adrift of Nuno Espirito Santo's side after holding Villa to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on January 14.
Chris Wood's physical presence could cause Arsenal problems and he's in a rich vein of form after scoring five goals in his last four outings. The New Zealand striker was on target in the loss to Brentford as he directed a glancing header into the bottom right corner of the net from Callum Hudson-Odoi's fine cross.
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Gabriel Martinelli has struggled to replicate his stunning form from last season, but he'll be pushing for a recall to the starting line-up after stepping off the bench to score a quick-fire brace in stoppage time against Palace, ending a five-match barren spell in front of goal with similar clinical finishes on the counter.
Nuno had issue with Ivan Toney's equaliser after the striker was seen moving the ball from its previous position before curling the free-kick around the wall into the bottom right corner of the net.
"Of course, I have [an issue]. Everyone in this room can see it was a ball displacement. The law is clear. Every goal must be checked. Every situation that leads to a goal must be checked. I don't know if this was checked. It's ball displacement," he said.
"I think we have to be a little bit more mature in these situations. It changed the position of the wall. It was a soft goal but everyone thinks it's a mistake from the wall. But it's not only inches but a yard almost."
Arteta believes the two goals will give Martinelli the confidence he needs to kick on after scoring just twice in his previous 18 appearances.
"I think that is going to make him really good," the Spaniard said. "Sometimes when you are in that period, and he had a little issue in the last few days in training so he wasn't fully, fully fit, that changes momentum, it changes perception, it re-energises you. It's everything."
Nottingham v Arsenal Head-to-Head
(Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Forest - 1
Arsenal - 4
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 22 fixtures:
Tuesday, January 30
21h30: Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
21h45: Fulham v Everton
21h45: Luton Town v Brighton & Hove Albion
22h00: Crystal Palace v Sheffield United
22h15: Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Wednesday, January 21
21h30: Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford
21h30: Manchester City v Burnley
22h15: Liverpool v Chelsea
Thursday, February 1
21h30: West Ham United v Bournemouth
22h15: Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester United
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