Arsenal will want to return to winning ways after the international break as they welcome Nottingham Forest to the Emirates Stadium.
The game has been given some added spice with the news that former Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou will be in the dugout following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo.
Mikel Arteta’s side will also welcome back a familiar face in Oleksandr Zinchenko, who could make his Forest debut in the clash.
Arsenal know that they must secure three points to keep pace with Liverpool at the top of the Premier League even at this early stage. Tony Pulis thinks he already knows the obvious outcome of the game.
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Tony Pulis thinks Arsenal are a ‘banker’ to beat Nottingham Forest
Speaking on the latest episode of ‘The Managers’ podcast, former Stoke City boss Pulis has named Arsenal as one of his ‘bankers’ for the upcoming Premier League fixtures.
The Gunners will be desperate to bounce back from defeat at Anfield and could hand Eberechi Eze a home league debut. Pulis thinks they will have too much for Forest.
Pulis stated: “My bankers this week. I’m going for Fulham against Leeds, Palace to beat Sunderland, Newcastle to beat Wolves, and Arsenal to beat Forest.
“The Arsenal Forest game. I think Forest have had stuff going on again behind the scenes that I think has been a little bit disruptive and Arsenal have to win this game. you know, they got beat at Liverpool last week, which was a disappointment for them.”
The game will also see Edu Gaspar return to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since departing North London and taking over as Nottingham Forest’s global head of football.
Arsenal have the tools to deal with Bukayo Saka and William Saliba absences
It has been an all too familiar story for Arteta at the start of this campaign in terms of devastating injury news. It began with a knee injury for Kai Havertz who is expected to miss a few months following surgery.
Bukayo Saka remains absent with a hamstring injury sustained against Leeds United, whilst William Saliba is expected to be out for a month after he came off with an ankle injury in defeat to Liverpool.
In seasons gone by, injuries to Saka and Saliba would have been blows that Arteta’s squad would find difficult to overcome.
However, the depth Arteta now has at his disposal means that he will be confident that his side can still churn out victories with the likes of Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera stepping up.
Arsenal’s squad depth will certainly be advantageous this season as they go in search of their first trophy since 2020.
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