Arsenal have just done something for the first time in 298 days as Mikel Arteta explains surprise decisions

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Arsenal have named a surprising starting XI for their clash against Nottingham Forest, with several unexpected decisions.

Mikel Arteta was able to welcome back several players from injury, with Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka both in the starting XI, but there are a number of notable absences.

Declan Rice has been benched after recent injury issues, but Arsenal fans were shocked at the lineup as Thomas Partey, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Martinelli were also left out of the starting XI.

Jorginho, Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus are all starting in their places, and this means that Arsenal are lining up without one player for the first time in a while.

• READ MORE: Everything to know on Arsenal’s Kai Havertz from his girlfriend to height

Arsenal start without Kai Havertz for the first time since January

Havertz’s surprise omission means that Arsenal are starting without the German in the Premier League for the first time since January 30.

It is 298 days since Havertz was last absent from the lineup in the league, when Arsenal beat the same opposition in Nottingham Forest.

Havertz came on as a substitute as Arsenal won 2-1 away at Forest in January. Emile Smith Rowe and Jesus started, with the Brazilian and Bukayo Saka scoring the vital goals.

Arteta never dropped Havertz again, as he then embarked on a remarkable run of scoring form after coming into the team as a striker, but his reasoning over the decision has become clearer.

Mikel Arteta explains why Kai Havertz and others are on Arsenal bench

Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta claimed that the Arsenal squad were facing several issues which meant rotation was required, and Havertz was clearly one of the players struggling for full fitness.

“We’re showing trust to the whole squad and dealing with some issues that are not allowing certain players to start,” Arteta revealed.

Havertz missed International duty with Germany with a knock, and he has not been deemed ready to start, but it will be interesting to see if Jesus can put pressure on his starting place against Forest.

A negative result could backfire heavily on Arteta given his decisions, but a refresh in the starting XI could be exactly what Arsenal need to get back on track.