Striker scores 5 international goals ahead of Arsenal clash

Nottingham Forest’s Chris Wood has carried his excellent recent form into the international break, bagging five goals ahead of his visit to Arsenal.

With a game against Nottingham Forest coming up at the weekend, Arsenal have two major things to worry about.

The first is Forest’s defensive record, with only Premier League leaders Liverpool conceding fewer goals in the competition this season. Even Arsenal themselves have conceded two more, so breaking down Saturday’s opponents won’t be easy.

The second is Chris Wood.

In the Premier League alone, Wood has eight goals in 11 games this season. That includes goals against high-flying teams like Chelsea and Brighton, and five in his last five club games.

But the 32-year-old has also transferred that form to his international fixtures with New Zealand, scoring seven goals in six matches over the last three breaks.

Five of those goals came in his two matches this week, scoring two in a World Cup qualifier against Vanuatu and a hat-trick in another qualifier against Samoa.

Those are unlikely to be the strongest opponents he’ll face this season, but Wood is keeping himself ticking over ahead of Saturday’s game at the Emirates Stadium.

On paper, a home game against Nottingham Forest looked like a banker for Arsenal before the season began. But Mikel Arteta’s side would be foolish to underestimate their opponents after the season they’ve had so far.