Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest at the Emirates tomorrow, and pundits Paul Merson and Chris Sutton have both revealed their predictions for the game.
After a sensational start to the season, the Gunners have dropped points in back-to-back games. We drew against Southampton last weekend and lost at Eindhoven against PSV on Thursday.
Mikel Arteta will be desperate for his side to return to winning ways tomorrow.
Paul Merson and Chris Sutton predict Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest
Despite dropping points in the Premier League against Southampton last week, Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table.
We’re two points clear of Manchester City, and hopefully, that will remain the case at full-time tomorrow.
Merson and Sutton both believe we’ll remain the table-toppers at the end of this game week.
In his column on Sportskeeda, Merson wrote: “I know they suffered a bad result the other day against Southampton, but they didn’t lose – that’s a big compliment. Last season, they would’ve lost that game. If Arsenal are at the top of the Premier League table come the World Cup break, it’ll be a massive feat.
Nottingham Forest will sit back and play ten men behind the ball, but I think Arsenal will have too much for them. The earlier they find the back of the net, the bigger the final score will be. Forest are going to play one way and one way only, but I think Arsenal should be able to win this match. Prediction: Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest.“
Sutton wrote on BBC Sport: “This is top of the table versus bottom, but the way last weekend’s games went for both teams made me stop and think about this one a bit more. I am still going for Arsenal to win, but they looked a bit tired in the second half of their draw with Southampton on Sunday.
“Forest have been a bit more stubborn in their past couple of games and have kept two clean sheets. They seem to have found a bit of defensive stability and it is down to Arsenal to find a way through. Because they are at home, I have to back the Gunners, but these next few weeks before the season stops for the World Cup will tell us a lot about their squad, and whether it is strong enough. Prediction: Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest.”
The Insider’s View:
The game against Forest tomorrow is by no means a high-profile clash, but it’s one we simply have to win.
The Gunners have been really poor recently. We stole all three points against Leeds after a shocking performance, picked up a point against Southampton in a game we could’ve easily lost and suffered a terrible defeat to PSV in what was undoubtedly our worst display of the season.
Arteta will not have been happy after three really poor performances away from home. He will have let the players know that, and he’ll want nothing but a win tomorrow.
Forest are not an easy team to face – just ask Liverpool – but have been brilliant at home, and hopefully, we’ll get the job done and return to winning ways.
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