Arsenal head back into Premier League action at home to Nottingham Forest on September 13.
The Gunners signed off for the international break with a frustrating 1-0 defeat at title rivals Liverpoolwith six points on the board from three games.
Mikel Arteta will also welcome an old foe to the Emirates Stadium after Forest’s decision to appoint former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou as their new boss.
Club owner Evangelos Marinakis opted to sack Nuno Espirito Santo, following weeks of tension between the pair, despite securing European qualification at the back end of last season.
Santo had secured four points from his first three games in 2025/26, but ultimately results were not the deciding factor in his future, as Postecoglou takes charge at the City Ground.
Arteta has won all three top-flight home meetings against Forest, under Santo and Steve Cooper, but a reunion with Postecoglou poses a fresh test.
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Arteta aims to crash Postecoglou’s party
All the pre-game focus will centre on Postecoglou as the Australian makes an instant Premier League return.
Postecoglou’s UEFA Europa League trophy win made good on his promise to win a trophy in his second season at Spurs but their poor league form ensured his dismissal.
Arteta had a superb record against Tottenham under Postecoglou’s leadership with three league wins and a draw.
A lack of time with his new team means Forest will not be full-on ‘Ange-ball’ yet, and with defensive resilience their calling card under Nuno, Arteta will be hoping to dodge the new manager bounce and catch a team caught between two very different tacticians.
Solve the Saka question
Bukyao Saka missed the defeat at Liverpool with a hamstring issue and remains sidelined for the visit of Forest.
Arteta has stuck with a consistent starting XI in the opening weeks of the campaign with seven players starting all three games so far.
With Martin Odegaard back alongside Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi in midfield, in front of an unchanged defence, the main question focuses on who plays in the the two wide attacking spots.
Gabriel Martinelli came back in at Anfield, with Noni Madueke switched from right to left, but neither managed to really impact Arne Slot’s backline.
Madueke scored on England duty, in the 5-0 win in Serbia, and should remain in Saka’s right-sided spot but Eberechi Eze could be unleashed off the left.
The former Crystal Palace man replaced Martinelli on 70 minutes at Liverpool and completed three carries into the Liverpool penalty area, compared to Martinelli’s one, and with the former coming back from a long trip to Brazil – Eze is on course for a first Arsenal start.
Subdued Gyokeres remains out in the cold
Viktor Gyokeres arrived at Arsenal with the pressure of a huge price tag and the challenge of ‘solving’ Arteta’s striker issue – he’s been inconsistent on both fronts so far.
Arteta has started the former Sporting CP hitman in all three games despite failing to register a shot in an hour of action in the campaign opener at Manchester United.
That was swiftly followed by two goals from two attempts on target in the 5-0 win over Leeds United but he slipped back to anonymity at Liverpool.
The international window with Sweden has done little to boost his confidence, with just one shot on target, across a draw with Slovenia and defeat to Kosovo.
It will build his match fitness, but a lack of involvement in overall play is a concern, with an average of 18 touches per game so far at Arsenal.
That places him in the bottom two from the starting XI in all three matches as a worrying statistic for Arteta.
He looks unclear on his role so far, but the addition of Eze could allow him more space to drift and get involved, as Arteta desperately looks to find a way to ignite his big-money signing.
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