Neco Williams has been lining up at left back for Nottingham Forest in recent weeks, meaning that he will be up against Bukayo Saka here. Williams has committed 17 fouls across his 21 Premier League appearances this term (0.81 per 90 and will be regularly tested by the Arsenal winger.

Bukayo Saka is one of the best players in the Premier League when it comes to winning fouls, with the winger drawing 35 fouls across his 19 Premier League appearances this season (2.21 per 90). Saka has been fouled in three of his last five Premier League appearances, and also completes 2.15 dribbles per 90, showing how frequently he looks to travel with the ball.

Saka didn’t feature in the most recent head-to-head clash between the sides, though Noni Madueke managed to win two fouls down his side of the pitch. Forest committed 11 fouls on that occasion, and I’d expect a similar tally from Sean Dyche’s side here, with the battle between Saka and Williams well worth keeping an eye on.

Arsenal scored from a set piece (again) in their 3-2 first leg win over Chelsea in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final during the week, with the Gunners registering nine corners in that clash. These situations are key to Arsenal’s attacking approach as Mikel Arteta’s side don’t score that many goals from open play - and they are likely to be even more restricted than usual here against a side that will sit deep.

The Gunners are averaging 5.62 corners per game across their 21 matches in the Premier League this season - only Newcastle, Chelsea and Manchester City are winning corners more frequently than the North London side. This average stays steady when looking at their away matches (5.60 corners per game), which is a record that is only bettered by Brentford and Bournemouth.

Arsenal racked up eight corners in their 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates earlier in the season, and I think that we’ll see Arsenal have enough control in the game to come away with a healthy corner count.

Arsenal’s recent matches have seen a spike of goals, with 2+ goals in four of their last five matches, with the exception of their 0-0 draw against Liverpool at the Emirates. Aside from that goalless draw, all four of Arsenal’s recent matches have also seen BTTS - which is uncharacteristic for the best defensive side in Europe.

Nottingham Forest have seen 2+ goals in each of their last five matches across all competitions, notably only managing to win one of those games, which was a significant 2-1 triumph over West Ham in a six-pointer in the relegation battle. Forest conceded three goals the last time the sides met, with Arsenal coming away 3-0 winners at home.

Forest have seen 29 goals across their 10 home games in the Premier League this term (2.9 per game). Only Wolves (23) and West Ham (25) have conceded more goals at home this season than Forest, so there should be opportunities for the league leaders to cover this goal line on their own.

Arsenal are in an excellent position in the title race, and could be in a position to move nine points clear of Manchester City here - depending on how the Manchester Derby unfolds earlier in the day. Arsenal boast the best away record in the Premier League this season, avoiding defeat in eight of their 10 away matches.

Mikel Arteta’s side have scored 14 goals across those matches, which isn’t a prolific record and suggests that Arsenal are cautious but still successful on the road compared to the complete dominance they have in games at the Emirates. 

Forest have only managed to win three of their 10 matches at the City Ground this term, with their poor home form being a big reason as to why they find themselves still scrapping at the bottom of the Premier League table. 

Only Wolves (23) and West Ham (25) have conceded more goals at home than Forest (17) this season, so I can see Arsenal getting a goal or two in front here and coasting through the rest of the contest with their impressive defensive capabilities.

Viktor Gyokeres’ Arsenal career hasn’t quite gone to plan so far, but his goal during the week against Chelsea should give him some confidence to put a run of form together. Gyokeres got on the end of a Ben White cross after Robert Sanchez let the ball trickle through his grasp. Gyokeres also provided an assist in that game, which was one of the more complete performances he’s had in an Arsenal shirt.

Gyokeres is a good poacher, but Arsenal don’t always play to his strengths, which has contributed to the tough season he’s had so far. Strikers tend to play in streaks of form, and also tend to improve when there is immediate competition for their spot, which is the case for Gyokeres now with Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus both back fit and available for the Gunners - also offering great super sub options should Gyokeres be unable to find the back of the net.

Gyokeres has netted five goals across his 16 Premier League appearances, and should have some confidence here following his strike against Chelsea during the week. Arsenal should also start looking for Gyokeres more in the box, with White’s delivery being a good example of the type of service that the striker needs to be effective.

Nicolas Dominguez was shown a yellow card in Forest’s FA Cup exit against Wrexham last time out, adding to the two cautions he’s received across eight starts in the Premier League this term. Dominguez has committed eight fouls across those matches (1.27 per 90), further highlighting how aggressive he is in the middle of the park for Forest.

Dominguez picked up nine yellow cards across his 23 Premier League starts last season (0.41 per 90), with a foul average of 1.51 fouls committed per 90. The Argentinian could become frustrated again here, with Arsenal’s midfield being one of the most difficult to stop in all of Europe.

Dominguez's main opponent is likely to be Martin Odegaard, who isn’t the strongest when it comes to winning fouls, but is likely to be replaced by Eberechi Eze at some point in the contest - Eze is averaging 1.78 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League this term and will be able to cause Dominguez problems.

I’m a big fan of Igor Jesus, he’s a constant nuisance and has shown himself to be a goal threat at this level. He will occupy Gabriel and William Saliba in what is the toughest assignment for a striker in the Premier League at the moment.

Jesus has only scored one goal in the Premier League this season, but has netted eight across all competitions for Forest this term. His shot output should have resulted in more goals in the Premier League as well, with 39 shots across his 13 starts in the division (3.05 per 90). Those efforts returned an xG of 3.41, suggesting that Jesus should have at least a few more goals to his name.

Seven of those attempts have found the target (0.55 per 90), so it is fair to say that Jesus is a little erratic with his efforts and raw as a Premier League striker, but his tenacity is there, which is important for any Premier League forward. His shot volume indicates that he often finds himself in shooting positions, which can aid him in finding the target here.