Live streaming fa cup Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal today on 7 january 2018.
Arsenal are missing Granit Xhaka for the FA Cup tie against Nottingham Forest due to a groin injury .
Sead Kolasinac (ankle), Aaron Ramsey (hamstring), Olivier Giroud (hamstring) and Nacho Monreal (ankle) remain sidelined.
Arsene Wenger — who starts a three-match touchline ban today — has named a much-changed XI as the Gunners begin their cup defence.
Nottingham Forest XI: Smith, Lichaj, Mancienne, Traore, Osborn, Cash, Clough, Brereton, Dowell, Vaughan, Worrall
Subs: Henderson, Mills, McKay, Bouchalakis, Walker, Cummings, Vellios
Arsenal XI: Ospina, Debuchy, Mertesacker, Holding, Willock, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Nelson, Iwobi, Walcott, Welbeck.
Subs: Macey, Chambers, Osei-Tutu, Dasilva, Reine-Adelaide, Akpom, Nketiah.
When Arsenal kick off their defence of the FA Cup with a trip to Nottingham Forest today, they will do so without Arsene Wenger in the away dugout.
The Frenchman was hit with a three-match touchline ban and a £40,000 fine for his comments about refereeing standards – and specifically Mike Dean – after Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with West Brom on New Year’s Eve. Dean awarded a controversial penalty for handball against Calum Chambers late on in the match, a decision which cost Wenger’s side two points and a chance to close on the top four in the Premier League.
In the aftermath, Wenger said of Dean: “He saw what he wanted to see.” That, along with his behaviour in the referee’s changing room after the final whistle, was considered enough to charge him with questioning the referee’s integrity.
With another controversial penalty awarded against his side in their game against Chelsea in the midweek – Hector Bellerin the accused this time after a disputed challenge on Eden Hazard – it’s best not to think about Wenger’s response should another decision go against them this weekend. Forest will need some luck to overcome today’s visitors to the City Ground, seeing as they are currently without a permanent manager and a middling 14th in the Championship.
Sacked on the same day as Wenger’s West Brom debacle, Mark Warburton missed out on the opportunity to face Arsenal on account of a string of lacklustre performances. Caretaker boss Gary Brazil will have to massively up the ante for Forest to have any chance of knocking out the cup holders in the third round.