Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest LIVE! Premier League result, match stream, latest reaction and updates today

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest LIVE!

Arsenal survived a late scare to beat Nottingham Forest 2-1 and get their Premier League season off to a winning start. Expectation is high in north London after last season’s title bid and a summer of strong recruitment and for much of the afternoon it looked like being a cruise to three points, once the match finally started after a 30 minute delay due to ticketing issues.

Eddie Nketiah opened the scoring after brilliant skill from Gabriel Martinelli on the left wing, before a wonderful strike from Bukayo Saka put Arsenal in complete control before the break as he curled a finish into the top corner from outside thw area.

Taiwo Awoniyi gave the visitors real hope of taking something from the match though when he finished off a Forest counter in the closing, before the Gunners just about came through some nervy moments to hang on for victory.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest updates

• GOAL! Awoniyi pulls one back for Forest

• GOAL! Saka doubles the lead with stunner

• GOAL! Nketiah opens scoring for Arsenal

• Kick-off delayed by 30 minutes

Arsenal FC 2 - 1 Nottingham Forest FC

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16:14 , Matt Verri

On the day that one homegrown striker departed north London to leave his side in a state of flux heading into the new season, another struck first to help give his a winning start to the campaign.

An Arsenal lineup in evolution, featuring all three summer signings and a reimagined shape, looked understandably disjointed for much of the opening half-hour here, but Eddie Nketiah’s strike - the Gunners’ first on target - broke Nottingham Forest’s early resolve. Within minutes, Bukayo Saka’s stunner had doubled the lead and though Taiwo Awoniyi’s effort set up a nervy finish, last year’s Premier League runners-up held on for a 2-1 victory.

It is another Big Season for Nketiah, who had to bide his time last term until injury interrupted Gabriel Jesus’s sensational start to life in red, but is front-and-centre from the outset now, with the Brazilian again sidelined by a knee issue.

Click here for Malik Ouzia’s full analysis!

Reaction from Arteta

15:42 , Matt Verri

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

15:23 , Matt Verri

Unlike last season, when Arsenal hit the ground running, this looks like a team that’ll take a bit of time to work itself out.

Player ratings

15:11 , Matt Verri

Kai Havertz 6

Moved deeper having led the line at Wembley last weekend. Like Rice, has work to do to find his feet but some decent touches. Almost ran through to clinch it late on.

Bukayo Saka 8

Arsenal’s best player in the first-half, giving Aina a torrid time. Scored a wonderful second goal cutting in from the right in move that is becoming increasingly familiar.

Read our full Arsenal ratings here!

All got very nervy...

15:07 , Matt Verri

FT: Arsenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest

15:02 , Matt Verri

Job done for Arsenal... just!

They were dominant in the first-half, two goals up at the break and in complete control.

Forest kept themselves in it though and Awoniyi’s late strike set up a grandstand finish. The Gunners just about hold on.

15:01 , Matt Verri

90+8 mins: Chance for Arsenal to break, Havertz finds Saka.

He chops back inside, lays it off to Odegaard and he curls an effort just wide of the far corner.

Still we play...

14:59 , Matt Verri

90+6 mins: Saka down, McKenna stood on his foot from a free-kick and it’s a painful one.

Arteta is screaming at Ramsdale to punt the ball long, the time for playing out from the back has long gone!

14:57 , Matt Verri

90+3 mins: Odegaard winds up the shot from miles out, charged down. White meanwhile is in the book for timewasting.

Arteta is going to be exhausted, he is charging up and down his technical area. Arsenal have gone to the corner through Havertz, which gives you a good idea of where their mind is at.

14:54 , Matt Verri

90+1 mins: Seven minutes added on!

Havertz looks to be in for Arsenal, bouncing ball and Boly can’t get there. The German basically catches it, play is waved on though and it’s a corner for the Gunners.

14:52 , Matt Verri

89 mins: Arteta is furious on the touchline, not liking what he’s seeing from his side at all. It’s pure chaos at the moment, neither side has any sort of control.

Arsenal trying to just keep the ball, happy to slow things down as much as possible.

14:50 , Matt Verri

86 mins: Desperate times...

Gabriel on, Martinelli off. Not exactly like-for-like is it.

Arsenal need to get some control back, Forest look well capable of finding an equaliser.

14:47 , Matt Verri

84 mins: Forest straight back on the attack, Gibbs-White fires over the bar! Arsenal all over the place now.

Gabriel is about to come on for the Gunners, who are just trying to hang on.

GOAL! Arenal 2-1 Nottingham Forest | Taiwo Awoniyi 82'

14:46 , Matt Verri

GAME ON!

Elanga leads the charge on the left, he’s too quick and Arsenal can’t get back in time.

Plays the ball low to the near post, Awoniyi gets across his man and finishes past Ramsdale.

14:45 , Matt Verri

82 mins: Rice is getting chances! Saka clips a ball into the middle, Worrall’s header flicks it into the path of Rice and he makes a bit of a mess of the volley.

Straight into the ground, Turner should claim but he instead turns it away for a corner.

Odegaard goes for pace at the near post, Arsenal can’t get the flick on and Forest can break....

14:44 , Matt Verri

80 mins: Elanga on for Forest, making his competitive debut for the club.

Arsenal look to break, Mangala just drags Odegaard back. Doesn’t try and make that subtle, as obvious a yellow card as you will see.

14:41 , Matt Verri

78 mins: Chance for Forest, they are a real threat from set-pieces.

Corner comes in, looks to be a free header for Boly but Rice does just about enough to put him off. Ball bobbles through to Ramsdale.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates

14:39 , Matt Verri

Not been great from Arsenal since the break but a Declan Rice goal would have lifted the roof off the place. Great stop from Turner after the little nick.

14:39 , Matt Verri

76 mins: This has the potential to turn into a nervy 15 minutes for Arsenal. Forest are growing in confidence, but there will be more and more space for the Gunners to exploit.

Martinelli looks to do just that, squaring it to Odegaard. He finds Odegaard, back to Rice and he whips an effort against the post!

Turner got a touch on that, great save.

14:36 , Matt Verri

73 mins: Ramsdale takes far too long as he looks to launch the ball long, Johnson comes flying in and charges it down. Arsenal need to wake up here.

Arteta does now bring on Trossard, Nketiah the man to make way.

14:35 , Matt Verri

71 mins: The visitors have been dangerous since I said they don’t look like scoring. As expected.

Corner to the back post this time, Ramsdale comes and doesn’t get there, but it’s through everyone.

Williams replaces Aina, Awoniyi on for Danilo as Cooper turns to his bench.

14:33 , Matt Verri

70 mins: Odegaard with space on the edge of the box, curls it towards the far corner but Boly is there to block.

Forest look to break, brilliant run from Danilo but Arsenal quickly get bodies back. Aina tries his luck from distance, deflects just wide of the near post. Corner for the visitors.

Whipped in to the near post, Tomiyasu nods it behind for another one. More like it from Forest.

14:31 , Matt Verri

67 mins: Havertz wins the ball back, comes to Martinelli out on the left.

He’s crowded out though, Forest doing a good job of frustrating the Gunners. The visitors don’t look like scoring that. At all.

14:27 , Matt Verri

63 mins: Great tackle from Boly, Arsenal were about to open Forest up.

Odegaard with lovely footwork, plays the ball inside and Nketiah lays it off to Havertz. He tries to work it onto his left foot to get the shot away, but Boly gets a good foot in.

14:23 , Matt Verri

59 mins: All very comfortable for Arsenal, but they haven’t really threatened since the break.

The likes of Smith Rowe, Trossard and Vieira on the bench should Arteta want to freshen things up in forward areas. Imagine it won’t be too long before Trossard is introduced.

14:19 , Matt Verri

56 mins: Good save from Ramsdale... wouldn’t have counted anyway.

Long throw into the box, initially cleared by Arsenal but lobbed back in. Yates chests it down, swivels and gets the shot away, Ramsdale parries it out.

Yates was offside though as the ball came in again.

14:16 , Matt Verri

53 mins: Two Forest players out to deal with Saka, he very nearly skips past both of them.

Ball bobbles back off him though, runs away and Turner can move off his line to claim. Saka has been superb all afternoon, so sharp.

14:13 , Matt Verri

50 mins: Timber hurt himself just before the break when challenging Johnson, didn’t move well before the break.

He’s come out at the start of this half, and he’s tweaked something as he moved back with the ball. His afternoon is over, helped off the pitch and Arteta has a chat with him as he comes off.

Tomiyasu on at left-back.

14:11 , Matt Verri

48 mins: Boly clatters into Martinelli, lovely touch from the Brazilian as he skipped away from the Forest players.

No sign that the pattern of the match is going to change. Arsenal continue to dominate possession, but real concern now as Timber pulls up on the ball and drops immediately to the floor.

Tomiyasu coming on.

Back underway!

14:09 , Matt Verri

Second half is up and running at the Emirates!

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

14:08 , Matt Verri

Good news for Arsenal - Timber is back out for the second half.

First-half stats

14:01 , Matt Verri

Just the 84% possession for Arsenal in the opening 45 minutes.

They’ve had seven shots, three on target and two of those were goals. Clinical showing from the Gunners.

Arteta will want his side to keep their foot down and make this a really strong start to the season, particularly with such a strong bench.

How Arsenal took the lead...

13:56 , Matt Verri

HT: Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest

13:52 , Matt Verri

And that is half-time.

Relatively slow start from the Gunners, who could easily have fallen behind when Johnson found himself clean through on goal.

Since then though it’s been complete dominance, with Arsenal two goals up thanks to Nketiah and Saka.

So far, so good for the hosts.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:51 , Matt Verri

Worrying signs for Arsenal and Jurrien Timber, whose had a really encouraging pre-season.

I presume they’ll give him half-time but Gabriel, Kiwior and Tomiyasu are all out warming up.

13:49 , Matt Verri

45+3 mins: Awkward challenge from Timber on Johnson, Arsenal defender earns himself a yellow card.

He’s hurt himself in the process too. That or he’s hoping to delay long enough that Michael Oliver will forget to book him.

No such luck.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:47 , Matt Verri

It’s been notable just how much recovery pace Arsenal now have in this side, not only from Declan Rice’s arrival in midfield but also the two wingers and Saliba’s return at centre-back.

Forest haven’t been able to counter at all.

13:47 , Matt Verri

45+1 mins: Three minutes added on - very reasonable by current standards.

You’d imagine Forest will take 2-0, considering they’ve barely had a kick. One brilliant chance through Johnson but nothing else to get excited about.

13:45 , Matt Verri

44 mins: That would have been a very popular goal!

Rice shifts inside, 25 yards out and catches the strike decently enough. Turner has a clear view of it though and it’s a comfortable save.

13:44 , Matt Verri

43 mins: Martinelli robs Boly, plays it wide to Saka. Aina not letting him cut inside and get the shot away this time, he’s forced to turn back.

Odegaard slides White in down the right, cut back to the penalty spot but there’s nobody there for Arsenal.

13:42 , Matt Verri

41 mins: Gibbs-White gets away from Partey, looks to slide in Johnson but Saliba, as ever, is swiftly across.

Rice then completes the job, winning a goal-kick as Johnson makes the challenge. Arsenal have barely had any defending to do, since that early Johnson chance.

13:39 , Matt Verri

38 mins: Nearly 3-0!

Martinelli comes alive on the left wing, skipping away from two blue shirts. Curls a cross into the six-yard box, Nketiah throws himself at it but can’t quite make up the ground.

Odegaard then slides a nice ball through to Nketiah, shot is wide under pressure from Boly.

Some finish!

13:38 , Matt Verri

13:36 , Matt Verri

35 mins: Forest need to be very careful now.

Arsenal up, the crowd are up and this could get very ugly, very quickly. The Gunners are in full flow all of a sudden.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:34 , Matt Verri

It’s become a special move for Bukayo Saka, that.

From the moment he pushed it out of his feet and got across Mangala, you knew Forest were in trouble.

GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Nottingham Forest | Bukayo Saka 32'

13:33 , Matt Verri

STUNNING!

Wow. That is outrageously good from Saka.

Forest scramble a corner away, but it’s all very desperate and Arsenal are straight back on the attack. Saka picks it up, drifts inside and curls a glorious strike into the top corner from outside the area.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:30 , Matt Verri

An opposition full-back has just been booked for his first foul on Bukayo Saka. Things really have changed this season, haven’t they?

13:30 , Matt Verri

29 mins: Aina slides in, nowhere near the ball and Saka is brought down. Yellow card and Aina knows there is no point complaining about that.

Arsenal with an extra spring in their step now, intensity has stepped up since that goal. Winning it back within seconds whenever they do lose the ball.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:28 , Matt Verri

We’ve hardly seen Gabriel Martinelli in the game so far, with most of Arsenal’s play coming down the right but that’s absolutely superb from the Brazilian.

His roulette has just got another ovation as the replay comes up on the big screen.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Nottingham Forest | Eddie Nketiah 26'

13:27 , Matt Verri

ARSENAL TAKE THE LEAD!

Martinelli has been quiet but that is sensational. Stunning piece of skill out on the right, ball comes to Nketiah and his strike beats Turner with the help of a slight deflection.

13:26 , Matt Verri

25 mins: Havertz from 25 yards out, shot blocked immediately.

Just a wall of blue shirts in front of Arsenal, Forest have basically everyone either inside or on the edge of their area. Not making this easy.

Saka works the space on the right, his effort is deflected away for a corner. Near post again? It is but this one does get the flick on... Forest still able to clear.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates

13:24 , Matt Verri

Martin Odegaard is gesturing wildly at Jurrien Timber. A moment ago he made a dart inside that left Bukayo Saka free out wide for the big switch, a move that was a trademark of this side last season.

Timber, the new boy, didn’t spot it though and played short instead.

13:24 , Matt Verri

23 mins: White looks for that clipped ball down the line, Saka has the beating of Aina but Turner sees it coming and is off his line to claim.

If anyone knows what to expect from this Arsenal side, it’s Turner...

13:22 , Matt Verri

21 mins: Martinelli has been very quiet so far, most of Arsenal’s play coming down their right, but the Brazilian fires a nice pass inside this time.

Partey in space, not sure if that was a bad touch or an attempt at a first-time passs... not good either way. Forest have it back.

Turner then very lucky as he takes too long on the ball, Nketiah charges the clearance down and it bounces behind.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:20 , Matt Verri

You can tell there are plenty of new parts in this Arsenal machine, not just in terms of the new signings, but also one or two players in slightly different roles to last season.

Things aren’t quite as automatic.

Already feels like home for Rice!

13:19 , Matt Verri

13:18 , Matt Verri

17 mins: Rice with a good foot in as Forest look to break, Johnson’s progress is halted by the midfielder.

Arsenal dominating possession and territory as you’d expect, but yet to create anything in the way of clear-cut chances. Forest defending well.

13:15 , Matt Verri

14 mins: Partey playing as the right-back but he’s drifting inside constantly as expected. White able to shift wide when needed.

The Gunners work it well again down the right, another corner for the hosts. Saka once again the man to take.

They like this near post corner, but it’s not working. Easy for Forest to clear again.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:14 , Matt Verri

Eddie Nketiah tries to nick the ball ahead of Matt Turner and absolutely clatters the goalkeeper.

Doesn’t offer a word of consolation, despite them being team-mates about 48 hours ago.

13:12 , Matt Verri

11 mins: MASSIVE CHANCE!

Wow. Forest should be in front. Boly powers a header forward, Arsenal asleep and Johnson is suddenly clean through on goal.

All the time in the world, lifts the finish over the bar.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:11 , Matt Verri

Nice bit of play under pressure from Aaron Ramsdale there and it’s rewarded with a chorus of his name from the home section behind his goal.

Big afternoon for him with David Raya’s arrival imminent.

13:11 , Matt Verri

10 mins: Saka cuts inside onto that left foot, swings in a cross to the back post and Nketiah can’t get up enough. Header loops well wide.

Rice slips as he looks to keep it in play, right in front of the away fans. They were not sympathetic.

13:08 , Matt Verri

7 mins: Turner already not in any particular rush with goal-kicks, doing everything he can to slow things down.

Get the feeling the American is not going to make himself popular this afternoon, just two days after leaving Arsenal...

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

13:06 , Matt Verri

Start the conspiracy stuff now but one of Nottingham Forest’s coaching staff has just kicked a second ball onto the pitch to stop Arsenal taking a quick throw and got away without punishment.

Now if that was a certain other manager...

13:06 , Matt Verri

5 mins: Saka runs at Aina for the first time, wins a corner for the Gunners which he will take himself.

Decent ball into the near post, Aurier is there though to nod it behind. Take two.

Again to the near post, even less on this one though and it’s easy for Forest to clear away. Bit of a waste.

13:03 , Matt Verri

2 mins: It is indeed Partey at right-back for the Gunners, White in the centre of defence with Saliba.

White lobs a ball down the line for Saka, he fires a great first-time ball into the box and Boly hacks it away. Arsenal starting well here.

KICK-OFF!

13:01 , Matt Verri

We are up and running at the Emirates!

Here we go...

12:57 , Matt Verri

Teams are in the tunnel, we are finally ready to get up and running in north London.

Stands have filled up significantly, great atmosphere as the players walk out. We’re back on track!

Good news!

12:52 , Matt Verri

Fans are now making their way inside the stadium, looks to be a bit more movement outside.

We are still expecting to get underway at 1pm, so just under ten minutes to go. Doesn’t look like we’ll have a further delay.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

12:47 , Matt Verri

It’s now started raining, which will no doubt improve the mood of the thousands stuck outside.

12:44 , Matt Verri

Both sets of players are now back out on the pitch for another warm-up.

TV coverage saying that Arsenal want to get at least half of the fans outside in the stadium for kick-off - that would still leave about 15,000 unable to get in.

Footage of the queues would suggest nobody is moving at the moment...

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

12:38 , Matt Verri

The players had just gone in after their warm-ups when that delay was announced.

Nottingham Forest’s goalkeepers have just re-emerged for round two. The ground isn’t looking much fuller, though that’s probably because a lot of the fans who had managed to get in have gone back to the concourse bars.

Fans walking past the press box are telling us that they’re just being waved through the gates now with just a glance at their tickets and nothing scanned.

12:36 , Matt Verri

Stadium does not seem to be filling up yet.

No sign of the players either, they’ll be out for another quick warm-up at some point. Everyone waiting for more information on when those issues outside can be fixed.

Not exactly a flying start to the new season in north London...

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

12:32 , Matt Verri

Given the new added time rules, it seems very likely that this game will now stretch beyond the 3pm blackout.

Anyone know the rules?

Fans stuck outside

12:26 , Matt Verri

TNT Sports coverage suggests that as many as 35,000 fans are still stuck outside the stadium.

New system clearly causing issues at the turnstiles - hopefully the club can find a way to fix that in the next 30 minutes.

KICK-OFF DELAYED

12:21 , Matt Verri

We will have a 30 minute delay at the Emirates.

Huge number of fans still stuck outside the stadium due to those ticketing issues, so kick-off has been pushed back to 1pm BST.

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

12:15 , Matt Verri

Some reports from fans outside the ground suggesting that Arsenal’s new ticketing system has gone down...

Arteta: Community Shield was big boost

12:13 , Matt Verri

Mikel Arteta believes last week’s Community Shield win over Man City can have a big impact on Arsenal heading into the new season.

“Winning is the best energy booster that exists; it was great,” said Arteta.

“Everyone was so happy and it raises the confidence and trust levels of everybody for what we can do but understanding as well there are things we must do better.

“We can still play much better and the first game is going to be a completely different story with a different context. We’re going to need to be ready for that.”

Visitors looking for an upset!

12:08 , Matt Verri

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

12:00 , Matt Verri

Lots of talk about Arsenal’s bloated squad and the need to get that exit door revolving over the next few weeks.

Have a look at the list of players not involved today (some of whom are not fit and clearly will have big roles to play): Raya (imminent), Zinchenko, Cedric, Tierney, Holding, Elneny, Lokonga, Pepe, Balogun.

Exciting lineup!

11:55 , Matt Verri

On the opening night...

11:52 , Matt Verri

It was like we’d never been away last night.

Man City won comfortably against Burnley as the Premier League season kicked off, Erling Haaland scoring twice to get his tally for the campaign up and running.

Over to Arsenal to try and make a similarly strong start...

Malik Ouzia at the Emirates Stadium

11:45 , Matt Verri

So an interesting team selection from Mikel Arteta to start the season and it’s got the debate raging in the press room already. Partey at right-back? Or a Pep-esque back-three?

I suspect it may manifest as a little bit go both. And you could also argue that playing a back-four as well as Rice and Partey in holding midfield would not be a particularly ambitious way to set up against a team you walloped 5-0 here last season...

Gabriel on the bench

11:39 , Matt Verri

Interesting Arsenal side!

Gabriel has been almost a constant in the starting lineup over the past couple of seasons, but he drops to the bench this afternoon. Looks to be Partey at right-back, with White shifting into the centre of defence.

Rice as the deepest of the midfielders, with Havertz and Odegaard ahead of him. Nketiah leads the line for the Gunners.

Gibbs-White and Johnson tasked with providing the threat for Forest on the counter, while it’s likely to be a busy day for Turner in goal on his return to north London.

Nottingham Forest team news

11:34 , Matt Verri

Forest XI: Turner, Aurier, Worrall, McKenna, Boly, Aina, Yates, Mangala, Danilo, Gibbs-White, Johnson

Subs: Williams, Kouyate, Awoniyi, Wood, O’Brien, Niakhate, Elanga, Freuler, Horvath

Arsenal team news

11:30 , Matt Verri

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; Partey, Saliba, White, Timber; Rice, Odegaard, Havertz; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli

Subs: Hein, Gabriel, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Smith Rowe, Vieira, Jorginho, Nelson, Trossard

Turner to impress?

11:23 , Matt Verri

Matt Turner could well be in the Forest lineup when we get the team sheets in just under ten minutes.

The USA international signed from Arsenal for an initial £7million deal, with £3m in add-ons, after a single season in north London.

Arsenal sporting director Edu explained the decision to sell goalkeeper Turner ahead of the £30m arrival of David Raya from Brentford.

He told the club website: “On behalf of everyone at the club, we would like to thank Matt for his contribution to Arsenal and wish him and his family all the best in their new chapter.

“Matt is an international goalkeeper with the United States and is at a stage of his career when he needs to be playing regularly. He is leaving with our best wishes to join Nottingham Forest.”

Decisions for the Arsenal boss...

11:15 , Matt Verri

Key decision for Mikel Arteta this afternoon is who to opt for up front, with Gabriel Jesus out injured with a knee injury.

Kai Havertz got the nod in the Community Shield and had a decent game, but missed a couple of really good chances, while it was Eddie Nketiah leading the line with the captain’s armband in the Emirates Cup against Monaco.

There’s also Leandro Trossard as an option. He’s been in superb form in pre-season, and starting him as a false nine is an easy way to get him and Martinelli in the starting lineup.

Arteta: We are very happy with business

11:09 , Matt Verri

Mikel Arteta does not expect Arsenal to chase any further signings before the end of the transfer window.

Arsenal are due to tie up the deal to bring goalkeeper David Raya to the Emirates Stadium from Brentford, but as things stand that will be the Gunners’ final summer recruit, following the arrivals of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber.

Asked if Arsenal will look to add any more new recruits in this window, Arteta replied: “At the moment we’re not planning to do anything. But the window is very unpredictable.

“Things can happen, probably things that we don’t wish, but at the moment we are very happy with what we’ve got.”

Stage is set!

11:01 , Matt Verri

Arsenal look to last the distance

10:55 , Matt Verri

In the players’ lounge at Arsenal’s training ground, there is a wall full of post-it notes. The idea was born out of a dinner that Mikel Arteta organised with the players and their families.

Arteta asked everyone to write messages to the team on how they were going to help them win the Premier League.

They ranged from simple things like “love” and “honesty” to “help young academy players understand the importance of being respectful, ­humble, punctual and a good person every day”.

The post-it notes are the latest tactic by Arteta to continue creating unity at Arsenal as they bid to win the title this season.

Read Simon Collings’ full season preview here!

Gunners want more of the same...

10:47 , Matt Verri

Arteta: Too soon to think about title

10:42 , Matt Verri

Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal to forget about a title challenge as the new Premier League season kicks off.

Arsenal’s fine campaign last term generated a genuine title battle with the near-peerless Manchester City, but now the Gunners have their work cut out to step up again.

And the Arsenal boss has told his players that they can ill afford to start thinking about a title battle before a ball has even been kicked.

“If we start to think about the championship on the first fixture, we’re going to burn our energy,” said Arteta.

“We have to focus on doing what we have to do to win matches and that’s it - go game by game.”

Standard Sport prediction

10:33 , Matt Verri

Stuart Pearce and Nigel Clough scored in Forest’s last win away at Arsenal, all the way back in 1989.

The travelling fans may feel some opening-day madness is their best route to a repeat result yet the Gunners enjoyed some solid preparation at Wembley and should hit the ground running.

Arsenal to win, 3-0.

Nottingham Forest team news

10:27 , Matt Verri

Nottingham Forest’s injury troubles of last season have not fully subsided.

Omar Richards (hernia) is nearing a return from a year out while Wayne Hennessey (knee) and Felipe (knee) are out. Brennan Johnson (ankle) should be fit but Moussa Niakhate (elbow) and Taiwo Awoniyi (ankle) are doubts.

Matt Turner is in contention though to start for Forest, just a couple of days after completing his move from Arsenal.

Arsenal team news

10:21 , Matt Verri

Arsenal have not completed the signing of new goalkeeper David Raya in time for him to be in the squad this afternoon.

Asked if Raya could make his Arsenal debut this Premier League opening weekend, Gunners boss Mikel Arteta replied: “No. We have no news on any incomings.”

Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jorginho will both be available, however. Zinchenko has shaken off a calf injury in time to be available for the Emirates Stadium clash, having grafted to beat the issue across pre-season.

Jorginho had been carrying a muscle problem but boss Mikel Arteta expects the former Chelsea midfielder to be available for selection.

Gabriel Jesus will miss out as he continues to fight back from knee trouble. The Brazil forward could be back in tentative training next week but still remains some time away from a playing return.

Predicted Arsenal XI: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Timber; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli

How to watch Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest

10:13 , Matt Verri

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage beginning at 11am.

Live stream: Subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the TNT Sports app and website.

Live blog: You can follow all the action right here with us, featuring expert analysis from Malik Ouzia at the Emirates.

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest LIVE!

Friday 11 August 2023 16:36 , Matt Verri

Arsenal get their Premier League title challenge underway today with a lunchtime kick-off against Nottingham Forest.

Avoiding an opening-day banana skin will certainly be on Mikel Arteta’s mind but the Gunners will hope to also make a statement against a side they thrashed 5-0 in this fixture last season.

Kick-off comes at 12.30pm BST from the Emirates Stadium in north London.

Follow all the build-up, match action and reaction right here with Standard Sport!