Arsenal will look to continue their winning momentum as they host Nottingham Forest in the third round of the EFL Cup. The Gunners are coming on the back of two back to back wins in all competitions after that disappointing draw with Watford. Manager Unai Emery is expected to make a host of changes to the side that secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. And here is how the Gunners may line up against Nottingham Forest this midweek. Here is our predicted 4-2-3-1 Arsenal lineup vs Nottingham Forest.
Predicted 4-2-3-1 Arsenal Lineup Vs Nottingham Forest
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Emiliano Martinez will return in between the sticks, replacing Bernd Leno. The Argentine featured in the win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week. He will look to preserve yet another clean sheet on Tuesday.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is suspended after being sent off against Aston Villa on the weekend. Hector Bellerin is still lacking match fitness and will likely be assessed before the game. Nonetheless, we expect Calum Chambers to start at right-back, after scoring the second equaliser for Arsenal in the last game.
Kieran Tierney featured in 62 minutes for the reserves yesterday. And it is unlikely he will be given a starting berth, especially after returning from a relatively long injury-layoff. Hence, we expect Sead Kolasinac to retain his place at left-back.
Sokratis will make way for Shkodran Mustafi at centre-back. The German starred in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Frankfurt last week. David Luiz will partner him at the heart of the four-man backline.
Midfield
Both Matteo Guendouzi and Granit Xhaka will have to settle for a place on the bench as Emery is likely to experiment with Joe Willock in central midfield. The youngster could make a mark with his quick-feet and driving forward runs.
Willock will be partnered by Lucas Torreira, who will return to the starting lineup after starting on the bench against Aston Villa.
Attack
Mesut Ozil was a shock omission from the starting lineup against Villa on the weekend. The German, however, is a guaranteed starter in this game. He will operate as the lone attacking midfielder.
Bukayo Saka’s Premier League debut was cut short due to Maitland-Niles’ sending off. But, the youngster could again be given a starting berth in the side. He will operate as the left-winger with Reiss Nelson starting on the opposite flank. New signing Gabriel Martinelli is also pushing for a start.
And finally, the Arsenal attack will likely be led by Nicolas Pepe, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang expected to be given a breather after single-handedly rescuing points for Arsenal in the past few matches.
