Nottingham’s City Ground provides the next northern stop for Arsenal on Sunday, 18 October, as the English champions try to keep Manchester City within sight at the summit of the Premier League. Kick-off is scheduled for 12:30pm Brasília time, with Mikel Arteta’s side arriving from a productive European night and a necessary domestic recovery.
Arsenal sit second after collecting 15 points from seven league matches. Their response to a 3-0 loss at Brighton has been measured: a 2-1 win over Leeds last weekend was followed by Tuesday’s 3-0 Champions League victory against Lille. The visit to Nottingham therefore comes with momentum restored, but with little room to concede further ground.
Manchester City have made a perfect beginning, taking 21 points from seven fixtures after beating Ipswich Town 3-2 on Saturday. Arsenal need three points at the City Ground to prevent the gap from stretching beyond six points.
A difficult autumn for Forest
For Nottingham Forest, the occasion brings a very different urgency. Oliver Glasner’s team are 17th, one position above the relegation places, with five points so far. Consecutive league defeats to Coventry and Crystal Palace have left Forest seeking a result that could alter the mood around the banks of the Trent.
The likely home side includes Matz Sels in goal, with Ola Aina, Kevin Diomande and Murillo in defence. Daniel Muñoz, James McAtee, Xaver Schlager, Neco Williams, Morgan Gibbs-White and Dan Ndoye are expected to support Liam Delap in attack.
Arteta could select David Raya behind a back line of Ben White, Ezri Konsa, Gabriel Magalhães and Riccardo Calafiori. Declan Rice and Myles Lewis-Skelly are set to operate through midfield, while Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz offer Arsenal’s principal attacking options.
Match details
The match will be played at the City Ground in Nottingham. In Brazil, coverage is available through ESPN and Disney+.
