Arsenal must beware wounded Nottingham Forest as Premier League title race intensifies

Arsenal travel to Nottingham Forest on Sunday looking to extend their winning run, but the Premier League champions cannot afford to underestimate opponents desperate to arrest their decline. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has overseen an encouraging response to the disappointing 3-0 defeat at Brighton, with successive victories restoring confidence.

The Gunners recovered from a goal down to beat Leeds United 2-1 last weekend before producing an impressive second-half display in Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League victory over Lille. Those results have reinforced Arsenal's resilience, although their recent tendency to start slowly remains a concern.

Arteta's side have failed to score before half-time in five consecutive matches across the Premier League and Champions League, repeatedly leaving themselves with work to do. Against Forest, another sluggish opening could prove costly.

Oliver Glasner's side have endured a difficult start to the campaign, winning just once in six league matches and sitting dangerously close to the relegation places. Forest have scored only five league goals despite regularly creating promising opportunities, with their poor finishing contributing significantly to their struggles.

Their 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace last weekend demonstrated those frustrations, as numerous chances went begging. However, Arsenal should not mistake Forest's wastefulness for an inability to cause problems.

The hosts possess dangerous attacking players, including Dan Ndoye, while Morgan Gibbs-White could provide additional creativity if he recovers from his muscular problem. Forest also have reason to believe they can frustrate Arsenal, having held the Gunners to goalless draws in their previous two meetings at the City Ground.

That record underlines why patience and concentration will be essential on Sunday. Arsenal have developed greater attacking variety this season, with 20 of their 21 goals across all competitions coming from open play.

Bukayo Saka, Eberechi Eze and Kai Havertz offer the creativity required to exploit Forest's defensive weaknesses, but Arsenal must be clinical when opportunities arrive. Injuries could complicate Arteta's preparations, with William Saliba and Piero Hincapie unavailable, while Martin Zubimendi remains a fitness concern.

Nevertheless, Arsenal possess sufficient quality to secure another important victory. Manchester City's three-point advantage at the summit makes maintaining momentum particularly important, even at this early stage.