Ahead of the encounter at the Emirates this afternoon, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has praised Steve Cooper and his Nottingham Forest side.
Arteta complimented Cooper’s side at his pre-match press conference on Friday after Forest defeated the Gunners 1-0 at the City Ground back in May.
The victory for the Reds saw them clinch Premier League safety, with the result meaning Arsenal were out of the title race and having to settle for second place.
Cooper’s side will be hoping to win a second game in a row against Arsenal but will face an uphill task against a side they lost 5-0 to at the Emirates last season.
What did Mikel Arteta say in his press conference?
When asked about the game today, the Spaniard admitted that his side must play better than they did at the City Ground in order to get all three points.
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His side come into the game full of confidence off the back of their Community Shield triumph after beating Manchester City on penalties last weekend.
Speaking ahead of the encounter, Arteta praised Forest for their crucial victory over the Gunners at the end of last season, “They did it [beat us last season] in a really clever way and they deserved on the day to get the points.
“Tomorrow we’re going to have to play better to deserve more.
“Steve’s teams are always extremely well organised and what they’ve done last season, especially the way they’ve started and how they’ve adapted to the league and their qualities, is remarkable, so I think they’ve done well.”