Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest prediction, best bets & predicted line ups: Anguish for Ange on debut

It’s all change at Nottingham Forest as they head to Arsenal in Saturday’s early kick-off to start life under new boss Ange Postecoglou (12.30pm, TNT Sports 1).

The former Spurs boss replaced Nuno Espirito Santo on Tuesday, as the Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis brought an end to their fairly brief but successful relationship.

The sacking of Nuno became a formality following the very public breakdown of their relationship, but the appointment of Postecoglou, and so quickly, surprised many.

Postecoglu was sacked by Spurs at the end of the season, after winning the Europa League, but their dismal Premier League campaign spelt the end of his two-year reign, almost to the day.

Now he takes charge of a Forest side that finished seventh last season, but faces a tough opening game, heading back to north London to face Arsenal, who are heavy favourites on betting sites to make it three wins from four league matches.

While at Spurs, Postecoglou failed to win any of his four encounters against Arsenal in the Premier League, and the Gunners, who could go joint top of the table with a win, will be hoping that form continues.

Mikel Arteta’s side won three and drew one of those four matches against Postecoglou’s Spurs side, and Forest’s record against the Gunners isn’t much better.

They have won just two out of 16 Premier League matches against Arsenal, drawing four and losing 10. Both those wins came at the City Ground, in 1996-97 and 2022-23.

Arsenal have won their last six home games against Saturday’s opponents, in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 19-2.

They are also unbeaten in 14 meetings at home, winning 10 and drawing four, since a 3-1 defeat back in March 1989. A victory on Saturday would be their 50th win over Forest in all competitions.

The last meeting at the Emirates ended in a 3-0 win to the home side, thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka, Thomas Partey and Ethan Nwaneri.

After winning their opening two games of the season, against United and Leeds, Arsenal’s winning run came to an end last time out when they were beaten 1-0 by Liverpool at Anfield.

For Forest, their start has been mixed with one win, one draw and one defeat so far. They kicked off the campaign with a 3-1 win over Brentford, before a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace was followed by a surprising 3-0 home defeat to West Ham last time out.

Football betting sites are predicting a comfortable home win, but you can bump up the price on the Gunners by backing them to win to nil. Half of Arsenal’s 20 league victories last season were accompanied by a clean sheet, and their two wins this term have also been to nil.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest prediction: Arsenal to win to nil - 5/4 BetVictor

Declan Rice scored one and had two assists in two recent appearances for England to continue his impressive start to the season.

With Arsenal’s record from set pieces, he is always a good option when it comes to goals or assists, and he has Premier League odds of 9/2 to bag over 0.5 assists against Forest.

You can also get 24/5 on him to score at any time or 8/5 on him scoring or assisting.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest prediction: Rice to have over 0.5 assists - 9/2 Betway

The Premier League is back after the international break and there are some big games on the fixture list, including the first Manchester derby of the season.

Parimatch is running a special offer for the clash, boosting the odds of a City win to 30/1. Alternatively, you can get 50/1 on United coming out on top.

This new customer offer requires bettors to open an account with Parimatch and then opt in to the welcome offer that’s relevant to the team they want to back.

Wager a maximum of £1 on either City or United to win at the normal match odds and if they are victorious, you’ll be paid out in cash on the £1 bet, with the enhanced odds paid in free bets.

If you plan to have a bet on the football this week, make sure to gamble responsibly.

It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using the best betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets UK or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

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