Arsenal is at a weird crossroads. It's Saturday, January 17, 2026, and if you’ve been following the North London soap opera this week, you know the vibes are a mix of "we’re winning the quadruple" and "why is everyone injured again?" We are currently sitting six points clear at the top of the Premier League, but honestly, traveling to the City Ground to face Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest feels like walking into a trap.
Mikel Arteta just wrapped up his press duties, and he’s sounding more like a philosopher than a football manager lately. He admitted this week that he basically ignored the emotional side of the game when he first took the job six years ago. Now? He’s all about "connecting" and "touching the right buttons." It seems to be working. But buttons don't fix hamstrings, and that's where the real story is today.
The Injury Room is Getting Crowded
The latest Arsenal news today live is dominated by who isn't on the bus to Nottingham. William Saliba is the big one. He’s been out with an unspecified knock, and while Arteta teased a return in his Friday presser, the reality is that the Frenchman hasn't trained fully with the main group all week. It’s a massive blow because, let’s be real, our defense looks about 40% less scary without him.
Then there’s the Leandro Trossard situation. He missed the FA Cup win against Portsmouth, and we all thought he was just getting a breather. Nope. He’s a major doubt for today. Throw in the fact that Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapié are still nursing groin and muscle issues, and you start to see why Christian Nørgaard might have to play center-back again.
Think about that for a second. Nørgaard at the back. He’s been solid, but Dyche is going to smell blood. Forest has this annoying habit of being extremely efficient with zero possession. They’ve conceded 13 goals from set pieces this year, which is terrible, but Arsenal has scored 14 from them. It’s a "stoppable force meets a moveable object" situation on dead balls today.
Viktor Gyokeres and the Number Nine Scrutiny
Viktor Gyokeres finally broke his drought against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg earlier this week. It was a massive relief. The Swede had gone seven games without a goal before that tap-in. You could see the weight lift off his shoulders.
Arteta was asked if the criticism of Gyokeres has been fair. His answer? Basically, "welcome to a big club." If you wear the number nine for Arsenal, and you aren't scoring every 15 minutes, people are going to talk. But the guy's work rate is insane. Even when he isn't scoring, he's bullying defenders and creating space for Bukayo Saka to do Saka things.
The club is still alive in four competitions—Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup. That's a lot of football. To keep this momentum going, Gyokeres needs to start a real scoring streak, especially with a massive game against Manchester United looming on the 25th.
Transfer Rumors: The Marc Guéhi Saga
It wouldn’t be January without some transfer chaos. The big name circulating in the latest Arsenal news today live is Marc Guéhi. The Crystal Palace defender is in the final six months of his contract. Every big fish in the pond is circling.
Manchester City and Liverpool are the frontrunners, but Arsenal is "in his ear," according to some insiders. It makes sense. With our current injury crisis in the backline, spending £20m-£30m to secure a proven Premier League defender sounds like a no-brainer. But Bayern Munich’s sporting director, Max Eberl, has also been spotted chatting with Guéhi’s camp. It’s a mess.
We also saw rumors about Martin Zubimendi this morning. Arteta seems thrilled with how he’s settled in since arriving, saying he’s earned the respect of the fans and staff "very, very quickly." That curled left-footed goal against Chelsea certainly helped his cause.
What to Expect at the City Ground
Forest is sitting 17th. They are desperate. Sean Dyche is looking to end a career-long hoodoo where his teams never seem to score more than once against Arsenal. But don't let the table fool you. They just beat West Ham 2-1 on the road, and the City Ground is a literal bear pit when the lights come on for a late kickoff.
The tactical battle is simple:
- Arsenal will have 70% of the ball.
- Forest will sit in a low block and pray for a counter-attack through Morgan Gibbs-White.
- Ben White and Declan Rice need to stay switched on during transitions.
There was a bit of a weird moment in the Chelsea game where Rice had a "heated row" with assistant coach Albert Stuivenberg (the guy who always wears AirPods). Arteta played it down, saying it’s all sorted, but it shows the tension is high. When you're chasing four trophies, everyone's on edge.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're watching the game or tracking the latest Arsenal news today live, here’s what you should actually be looking for:
- The Team Sheet: If Saliba isn't in the starting XI, expect a nervy afternoon. Check the official lineup at 4:30 PM local time.
- Set Piece Efficiency: Watch how many corners Arsenal gets in the first 20 minutes. If Nicolas Jover (the set-piece coach) has cooked up something new, that's how we break the deadlock.
- Zubimendi’s Positioning: Watch how he covers the space when the full-backs bomb forward. He’s the glue right now.
- The "Trap" Window: Forest often scores early or very late. If Arsenal doesn't score by the 30th minute, the crowd will get loud, and the pressure will mount.
Arsenal is the favorite, obviously. The bookies have us at -186. But football isn't played on paper, and an injury-depleted defense against a Dyche team is exactly the kind of "banana skin" game that defines a title race. We need three points. Anything less, and the "quadruple" talk starts to sound very quiet, very fast.
Stay tuned for the live updates as we get closer to kickoff at 5:30 PM. It's going to be a long night in the East Midlands.
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Next Steps for You:
Check the official Arsenal app or social media channels at exactly 16:30 GMT for the confirmed starting lineup. Pay close attention to whether William Saliba makes the bench—that will tell you everything you need to know about his recovery timeline for the Manchester United game next week. If he’s not in the squad at all, it might be time to worry about a longer-term absence.