Arsenal travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday evening.
The Gunners have not recorded a victory at Forest’s home stadium since romping to a 4-0 thumping in a League Cup tie eight years ago. Kieran Gibbs started for Arsene Wenger’s side that day and Lucas Perez scored a brace. Nicklas Bendtner also featured but lined up for Forest, the club he joined following his release from Wolfsburg after repeatedly earning fines for oversleeping.
Here’s the alert lineup that Arteta may call upon in a bid to end Arsenal’s barren spell at the City Ground.
GK: David Raya – “In every game, there will be a mistake,” Arsenal’s shot-stopper has ominously warned.
RB: Ben White – According to Arsenal‘s first-team coach Carlos Cuesta, White’s “biggest strength” is his “ability to learn”.
CB: William Saliba – Arteta has admitted that his relationship with Saliba was “really tricky” to begin with but the centre-back is a firm favourite these days.
CB: Jakub Kiwior – As an eight-year-old, Kiwior was described as “our Roberto Carlos” by his youth team coach Krzysztof Berger. Arsenal would settle for competence rather than Carlos from Kiwior on Monday.
LB: Oleksandr Zinchenko – Once described himself (jokingly?) as “the Ukrainian Brad Pitt”.
CM: Martin Odegaard – As a child eager to learn, Odegaard remembers dragging his dad, a former professional footballer, out to the training pitch for one-on-one coaching. “He knew things the other parents didn’t. So I wanted him to teach me, to give me an edge.”
CM: Jorginho – With Declan Rice a fitness doubt, Jorginho could be in line for his first Premier League start since November.
CM: Kai Havertz – Only one player – Jamie Vardy – was caught offside more often than Havertz in the Premier League last season. Playing in a deeper position this term, Havertz has only raised the flag five times, fewer than 48 different players.
RW: Bukayo Saka – In a constant bid to improve, Saka revealed: “I keep watching all my games back trying to find a solution, what I can do better.”
ST: Gabriel Jesus – The dusty pitch Jesus’ youth team played on was right outside a military prison. The only other side to use it were the guards from the neighbouring facility.
LW: Gabriel Martinelli – “He had this desire,” Martinelli’s father says of his son. “There was no such thing as a lost cause. He went for every ball like it was his last meal.” The same can still be said to this day.
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