Nottingham Forest welcome Arsenal to The City Ground on Sunday evening for one of the standout fixtures of Premier League Matchweek 7. Kickoff is set for 16:30 WAT (UTC+1) on October 18, 2026, and the stakes are high at both ends of the early-season table, so this Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal prediction is one many bettors will be watching closely. Oliver Glasner’s hosts arrive on the back of consecutive defeats and a worrying goal drought at home, while Mikel Arteta’s visitors travel north in confident mood after a strong run of league results.
Our Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal prediction has to weigh Forest’s home troubles against Arsenal’s excellent recent record in this fixture. The Gunners are unbeaten in six straight meetings with Forest and have kept four consecutive clean sheets against them, which makes this an especially interesting game for bettors looking at the away win and the goals markets. Below, we break down the recent form, key stats, team news and the best betting tips for Sunday’s clash at The City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal Prediction: Match Preview / Betting Preview
Team Recent Form
Nottingham Forest – last five matches (most recent first), league form L L W D D:
- Crystal Palace 3-1 Nottingham Forest (11 October 2026) – Loss
- Nottingham Forest 0-1 Coventry City (19 September 2026) – Loss
- Aston Villa 1-2 Nottingham Forest (12 September 2026) – Win
- Nottingham Forest 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur (5 September 2026) – Draw
- Liverpool 2-2 Nottingham Forest (29 August 2026) – Draw
Arsenal – last five matches (most recent first), league form W W L W W:
- Arsenal 3-0 LOSC Lille (13 October 2026, UEFA Champions League) – Win
- Arsenal 2-1 Leeds United (10 October 2026) – Win
- Brighton 3-0 Arsenal (19 September 2026) – Loss
- Arsenal 4-2 in Europe (15 September 2026) – Win
- Sunderland 0-2 Arsenal (12 September 2026) – Win
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest have failed to score in all three of their home league games this season.
- Nine of Nottingham Forest’s last ten home matches have gone under 2.5 goals.
- Arsenal’s Saka has scored 3 Premier League goals this season.
0-2 is our predicted correct score. Forest’s goal drought against Arsenal, combined with the Gunners’ clean-sheet record in this fixture, points to a comfortable away win without reply for Arteta’s side at The City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal H2H
- 17 January 2026 – Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal
- 13 September 2025 – Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
- 26 February 2025 – Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal
- 23 November 2024 – Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest
Arsenal are unbeaten in their last six meetings with Nottingham Forest and have kept clean sheets in each of the last four. Forest have not scored against Arsenal since January 2024, which underlines why the goals markets lean so strongly towards a low-scoring away success.
Pre Game Odds
- Nottingham Forest win – 5.80
- Arsenal win – 1.65 (bet365)
- Under 2.5 goals – approx. 1.86
- BTTS No – 1.80
These odds underpin our Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal prediction: the visitors are clear favourites at 1.65, while the goals markets point firmly to a low-scoring game at The City Ground. Odds are labelled snapshots taken ahead of kickoff and may change before Sunday.
Team News Nottingham Forest
Oliver Glasner is without Igor Jesus, who is sidelined with a calf injury for several weeks, while Nicolo Savona is out after knee surgery. There are doubts over Nikola Milenkovic, who has a knee bone bruise, and Morgan Gibbs-White, who is carrying a minor muscle injury.
Nottingham Forest predicted XI (3-4-2-1): John Victor; Diomande, Murillo, Jair Cunha; Munoz, Schlager, McAtee, Neco Williams; Hudson-Odoi, Ndoye; Delap.
Team News Arsenal
Mikel Arteta cannot call on William Saliba, who is a long-term absentee with a back injury, while Piero Hincapie (ankle, out for several weeks) and Christos Tzolis (hamstring) are also unavailable. Martin Zubimendi is a doubt after an ankle knock.
Arsenal predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Calafiori; Lewis-Skelly, Rice; Saka, Odegaard, Eze; Havertz.
Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Arsenal win. The Gunners are unbeaten in six straight meetings with Forest and have kept four consecutive clean sheets against them. Forest have lost their last two matches and have failed to score in all three home league games this season. Arsenal win at 1.65 (bet365) is the standout bet.
Tip 2 – Over/Under 2.5: Under 2.5 goals. Nine of Forest’s last ten home matches went under 2.5 goals, and Forest have drawn a blank in all three home league games as well as in four straight meetings with Arsenal. Under 2.5 goals at approx. 1.86 is our hot tip.
Tip 3 – BTTS Yes/No: BTTS No. Forest have failed to score in four consecutive games against Arsenal and in all three of their home league matches this season, while Arsenal have kept clean sheets in each of the last four meetings between the sides. BTTS No at 1.80 completes our treble of betting tips.
That wraps up our Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal prediction, betting tips and match preview for Sunday’s Premier League game. For more weekend action, take a look at our Brentford vs Liverpool prediction on Sports Buddy.
