Arsenal return to Premier League action this weekend as they travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest, with both sides dealing with injury concerns ahead of the fixture.
Mikel Arteta’s team go into the match sitting six points clear at the top of the table, with pressure on their closest challengers ahead of the weekend’s fixtures. Arsenal will be watching closely as Manchester City face Manchester United earlier in the day, before turning their full focus to the trip to Nottingham.
The Gunners arrive in good spirits after a 3–2 win over Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. Arteta confirmed that the midweek match did not bring any fresh injury problems, which will be seen as a positive ahead of a busy period.
Despite that boost, Arsenal are still expected to be without several players. Defender Cristhian Mosquera remains sidelined as he continues to recover from an ankle injury picked up in December. Max Dowman is also working his way back from a similar issue, with no clear return date confirmed. Riccardo Calafiori has missed recent matches after withdrawing from the starting line-up against Brighton last month, and his availability for this weekend remains uncertain. Piero Hincapie is also likely to miss out after suffering a thigh injury in the draw against Liverpool, which has already ruled him out of the last two games.
Nottingham Forest also have injury concerns of their own as they look to respond following their FA Cup exit to Wrexham. Striker Chris Wood remains unavailable after undergoing knee surgery and has not featured since October. Goalkeeper John Victor is recovering from an operation after being injured against Aston Villa earlier this month. Midfielder Ryan Yates has returned to training and could be in contention, although his match fitness is still being assessed after a spell on the sidelines since early December.
With key players missing on both sides, team selection could play a major role in how the game unfolds. Arsenal will be aiming to maintain their strong league position, while Forest will hope to use home advantage to secure an important result.
