Game Week 22 Predictions: Arsenal to beat Forest

Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal preview: Gunners eye title push at City Ground; Forest prioritise Europa, Saka/Havertz key; Arsenal win verdict.

Arsenal's title ambition will once again be under scrutiny when they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday, they cannot afford to drop points. (Photo credit: Opta)

 Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal

The City Ground

6:30pm

Every game at this point is a title decider for Arsenal. A six-point advantage can be wiped out by two losses, and after going so close in back-to-back seasons, Arsenal will know only a win is what they need to negotiate with every opponent.

Nottingham Forest under Sean Dyche looks like a team that will beat the drop. They’re seven points clear of West Ham, who currently occupies the 18th spot, and with about 17 fixtures to negotiate before the end of the season, you have a sense that Forest will choose their battles wisely.

There’s a matter of priority for Nottingham Forest. They’re in the Europa League mix, and they have to travel to Portugal to entertain Braga. They need a win there to push for automatic qualification to the round of 16; they want to avoid two extra fixtures in the playoffs.

Experience teaches that it is difficult for a team to play on Thursday and then go all out in the Premier League by the weekend; with fixtures coming thick and fast, Nottingham Forest will have to prioritise at some points. They can’t fire on all cylinders with the quality they have in their squad.

For Arsenal, it’s a different case. The investments they made in their squad last summer have made it difficult for them to bring up depth excuses. This is the first time in a long while that you’d see them still active on all fronts at this stage of the season.

Arsenal beat Chelsea away at Stamford Bridge in midweek to plant one foot in the final of the Carabao Cup, and they dispatched Portsmouth seamlessly in the FA Cup last weekend. The Gunners sit on top of the league in the Premier League and in the Champions League; what a time to be a fan of Arsenal.

This fixture won’t be straightforward. Forest isn’t an easy fry at the City Ground. Expect some feisty tackles, and that is where the host must stay disciplined. Arsenal will be slippery with trickery; Forest must avoid unnecessary bookings.

Forest welcomed Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly back from AFCON and should have enough players to trouble the Gunners, but their form of just one win in their last five, including four losses, could see them getting a real hammering from an Arsenal side that needs a win to keep title hopes alive.

Bukayo Saka has been under the spotlight for not helping Viktor Gyokeres. Kai Havertz is now an option up front, and that makes things quite interesting. Arsenal has too much firepower to play anyway they feel like; it will be a long evening for the hosts.

Verdict: Arsenal to win.