Arsenal vs. Nottingham Forest Betting Tips: Two data driven tips from the Emirates

Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest is the first early kick-off of the season and it promises to be an entertaining clash. We’ve got Scott Thornton on hand with two data-driven tips for the game.

Arteta’s side looked as though they could pip Manchester City for the title last season but they were unable to sustain the pace they set in the first half of the campaign.

Nottingham Forest endured a difficult first season back amongst England’s elite, but avoiding relegation means that the last campaign will be viewed as a success. Steve Cooper was publicly backed through the team’s hardships last season. He will be expected to take the team up a level this season after further investment in the squad.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on the title, it was a successful season for Arsenal. They secured a place in the Champions League which no doubt made their summer spending spree easier. They have brought in Declan Rice, Jurien Timber and Kai Havertz; all of whom look set to improve their starting 11 drastically. Their spending doesn’t look set to top as they aim to compete with Manchester City across all four competitions this season

Nottingham Forest have also been busy this summer. They have strengthened their attack by bringing in Chris Wood and Anthony Elanga. Matt Turner has also sealed a deal from Arsenal to become Forest’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Arteta does have some absentees due to injury heading into the season opener Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus will miss out due to injury but they are both expected to return at the end of August. It is likely that Havertz will start up top for the Gunners as a result.

Forest will be without Omar Richards, Moussa Niakhite and Taiwo Awoniy

Arsenal were formidable at home last season and they are strong favourites to start their season with a win on Saturday.

Only Manchester City scored more goals than Arsenal in the Premier League last season but that will come as no surprise with the goal-scoring exploits of Erling Haaland. Arsenal also conceded 0.26 more goals per game than their title rivals. The Gunners’ matches saw 3.45 goals per game over the course of the 38 matches.

We are backing the goals to come once again as we head into the new season. There were three goals or more in all of Forest’s away matches against the traditional ‘big six’.

The Gunners scored the 2nd most goals at home in the Premier League last season and they also had more shots on target in front of their own fans than Manchester City. Arsenal’s attacking intent was clear for all to see as they averaged 18.53 shots per home game, the highest of any team in the league. 6.47 of those found the target.

Nottingham Forest conceded an abundance of shots last season. They ranked 5th highest for shots conceded in the Premier League and their opponents averaged 16.21 shots when Cooper’s men visited. 5.89 of those shots found the target. This is the 2nd most shots on target per game conceded by away teams in the Premier League last season.

Arteta’s side had eight shots on target as they beat Forest 5-0 at the Emirates last season. They will be hoping for a similar performance this time around.

For our longer odds bet, we are backing similar angles to the main bet.

In Forest’s previously mentioned visits to the ‘big six’, there was an average of 4.5 goals per game. This part of the bet has also landed in their last two trips to the Emirates.

We are also backing Kai Havertz to have at least two shots on target. The former Chelsea man looked dangerous in last week’s Community Shield and hit this mark then. He managed two shots on target and probably should have scored.