Arsenal chase ninth win in ten as Dyche’s fragile Forest seek City Ground reset

Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend with a trip to the City Ground, knowing that maintaining momentum is as important as extending their lead at the top.

The Gunners begin the round with a healthy advantage over their closest challengers and will expect to continue a campaign that has rarely faltered.

Mikel Arteta’s side remain active on all fronts, but the league remains the priority and the clearest measure of consistency.

Their midweek EFL Cup semi-final win away at Chelsea reinforced that depth and resilience, even if the performance was not without flaws.

Arsenal have now lost only once in their last 10 matches in all competitions and continue to find ways to win across different contexts.

Away from home, their record has been particularly strong, with five consecutive victories and a regular return of goals.

That form underlines why they travel north as clear favourites.

Nottingham Forest, by contrast, arrive in low spirits after another damaging setback.

Their FA Cup exit on penalties to Wrexham last weekend followed a chaotic performance that exposed both fragility and frustration.

That defeat extended a run of five losses in their last six matches across all competitions.

The disappointment came shortly after a rare league win over West Ham, a result that had briefly eased relegation fears.

Any sense of recovery has since been undermined by defensive errors and a lack of control.

Forest sit just above the bottom three and remain under pressure to find stability rather than momentum.

Home form offers little comfort, with six league defeats at the City Ground already this season, more than they suffered there across the entirety of the previous campaign.

Sean Dyche’s side have struggled to manage games when under pressure, particularly against opponents who dominate possession.

Arsenal will look to exploit that weakness, especially through their set-piece threat and wide overloads.

The Gunners are also well aware that Forest’s situation may encourage a high-risk approach.

With survival the priority, Forest are unlikely to sit back for long periods and may commit numbers forward in search of an early foothold.

That unpredictability is one of the few variables Arsenal must manage.

The reverse fixture earlier in the season was one-sided, with Arsenal winning comfortably without conceding.

Forest have also failed to score in their last three league meetings with the Gunners.

Arteta will expect focus rather than flair, particularly given the intensity of Arsenal’s recent schedule.

Squad rotation remains an option, but standards are unlikely to drop significantly.

Anything other than an Arsenal win would be a surprise, but the challenge lies in turning expectation into execution once again.

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