ARSENAL begin their latest quest for Premier League glory when they entertain Nottingham Forest at the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime.
The Gunners exceeded all expectations by carving out a surprise title challenge last term, leading the way in the Premier League for 248 days before being chased down by Manchester City's sky blue juggernaut.
Having fallen short in the final furlong last season, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has since embarked on a £200m spending spree to try and close the gap on City and deliver a first a league crown in 20 years
The capital club made an early statement of intent when snatching the Community Shield from Man City at Wembley last weekend, and they will now look to keep the feelgood factor flowing by earning three points against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates this weekend.
After finding themselves back in the top-flight last season following a two decade exile, Steve Cooper steered the Tricky Trees to their primary goal of survival with a game to spare.
Forest will hope to be more comfortable this time around as they look to avoid a case of second season syndrome, though they could have hardly asked for a tougher start to the season.
Outright Betting
Arsenal, who lost just twice at home in the Premier League last season, enter their opening Emirates encounter of the season as red-hot 1/4 (Ladbrokes) favourites.
Nottingham Forest held the unenviable tag as the worst travellers in the top-flight last term and that is reflected in the odds, with a Tricky Trees triumph trading at 12/1 (PaddyPower) while the draw is also deemed unlikely at 6/1 (UniBet)
Betting Angles
Arsenal are too short to side with at the aforementioned quote so I'll get creative and merge Arsenal to win, under five match goals and Bukayo Saka to have a shot at 4/5 with Bet 365.
Mikel Arteta's team had a far more solid look about them last season and that is evidenced by that fact that they boasted the joint-third best defensive record in the division.
What's more, this is the type of assignment Arsenal have been particularly efficient in dealing with in recent years, and I suspect they will start the Premier League season with a professional if unspectacular success on Saturday.
Nottingham Forest demonstrated last season that they are capable of being stubborn opponents, with 14 of their 18 top-flight last term featuring four goals or fewer, so Steve Cooper's side should be able to keep this respectable.
To round off the Bet Builder I'll also go with Arsenal's Bukayo Saka to have a least shot one during the game (the shot doesn't have to be on target).
The Gunners talisman was averaging two shots per-game in the Premier League last season, not to mention Saka was the Londoners' designated penalty taker last term.
Elsewhere, I'll also opt for another Bet Builder, namely the 10/11 Featured Bet with PaddyPower about Arsenal to Win, Arsenal Most Corners and Nottingham Forest Most Cards.
The above-mentioned combination clicked in last season's corresponding fixture and I'm happy to side with the same wager this weekend on an afternoon where Arsenal should dictate the tempo of the game en-route to victory.
This English Premier League match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest will be played on Aug 12, 2023 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
1pm ko
Saka 2 shots on target 5/1
Hills
GLIYF 🍀