Arsenal face struggling Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday (16:30 BST) as they seek to continue their fine form after returning from the international break.

The Gunners have not been at their best in their past two fixtures, but they have battled well to earn a 2-1 victory over Leeds United in the Premier League and a 3-0 win against Lille in the Champions League.

Forest have yet to fire under new boss Oliver Glasner. They have suffered two consecutive defeats, with a disappointing 3-1 loss at Crystal Palace following a 1-0 reverse at home to Coventry City.

Glasner and Forest yet to get going

Glasner's style of play has yet to fully click at Forest, although their biggest issue so far this season has been a lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Only Tottenham, with a conversion rate of 4.72%, have a worse record in the Premier League. Forest also have the biggest differential between their expected goals (xG) and the number of goals they have scored, with figures of 10.30 and five respectively, leaving them at -5.30.

Glasner's side have also missed the most big chances in the Premier League this season, with 17, while they have hit the woodwork a league-high six times.

The head coach will be frustrated, as his team's poor form continues a trend we saw towards the end of last season, when he was the head coach at Crystal Palace.

Glasner has won just five of his last 29 Premier League games, and his win percentage of 17% is the second-lowest of any manager to have taken charge of 20 or more games, ahead of only Rob Edwards (13%).

Arteta finding an edge off the bench

The squad depth at Mikel Arteta's disposal has been key since the start of last season, with the high-quality options off the bench helping the Gunners get over the line.

Since the start of the previous campaign, Arsenal have recorded 25 goal contributions from substitutes - 13 goals and 12 assists - more than any other club in the top flight.

Two of those goals have come in the past three matches, with Bruno Guimaraes netting long-range strikes to clinch the points for the champions against Sunderland and Leeds.

Arsenal have also had to find different ways to score this season, as their set-piece effectiveness has dwindled compared with last year.

The Gunners are yet to score from a set-piece in the Premier League in 2026-27. It is the first time they have failed to score from one in any of their first six games of a season since 2011-12.

In terms of underlying numbers, their expected goals from set-pieces per 90 have fallen to 0.31 this season, down from 0.56 in the previous campaign. Their expected goals from corners have also declined, from 0.37 to 0.18.

Arsenal are taking more short corners on average, accounting for 18.5% of their corners this term, compared with 13% in the Premier League last season. The Gunners are also yet to take a single outswinging corner in their first six games, although they took just seven in the whole of last season.