Soccer English Premier League Prediction

Nottingham vs Arsenal - Match Preview

⚽ 20 May 2023 - 14:00 GMT +0

After clinching a point at Chelsea, Nottingham Forest could see a Premier League (PL) encore secured as early as Saturday evening. They’d confirm their top-flight status with a win if Everton also fail to beat Wolves at Molineux earlier in the day, and with seven goals across their two most recent home games, there is every hope for Steve Cooper’s men.

Any Forest success would also see them complete a run of three straight top-flight home wins – a feat not accomplished within the same season since the winter of 1995/96 – but it’s unlikely to come easily, with Forest’s latest home clean sheet still dating back to early February. Additionally, they’ve also failed to score before half-time in the last eight PL H2Hs.

Though favourites, Arsenal will make this Trentside trip utterly despondent, after a 3-0 home loss to Brighton that Gunners boss Mikel Arteta later described simply as “unacceptable”. Another defeat would finally end whatever remote chance of a first league title in 19 years still exists for the Londoners, while a draw all but achieves the same effect.

Despite the gloom within Arsenal’s ranks, their latest road trip saw a 2-0 win over UEFA Champions League chasers Newcastle after a mini-drought on the road (D2, L1), giving some cause for optimism. But with Arteta’s men squandering 2-0 leads in both draws, the Gunners’ PL-best away record after half-time leads (W8, D3) is a stat worth treating with caution.

📋 Players to watch: If Forest is to triumph, expect Taiwo Awoniyi to make an impact, with the Nigerian scoring twice in consecutive PL matches. But Martin Ødegaard might well beat him to any opening goal, having claimed it inside the first 20 minutes in each of Arsenal’s previous two wins.

⚡ Hot streak: There has been at least one goal either way inside the opening 15 minutes of Arsenal’s last four away games.