Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard expects "a really big test" when Nottingham Forest visit the Emirates Stadium this afternoon.
Off the back of a memorable victory against Liverpool at the City Ground last weekend, Forest can move level on points with 17th-placed Southampton by securing another unexpected win, this time against Mikel Arteta's side.
The Gunners have enjoyed a stellar start to the season and will regain top spot by securing all three points this afternoon. Nevertheless, Odegaard and his teammates are well aware of the challenge that Steve Cooper's men pose after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Forest last season.
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"We played against Nottingham Forest last season when they knocked us out of the cup, so we know to expect a really big test today," the Norwegian wrote in his matchday programme notes.
"I didn’t manage to watch their game against Liverpool last weekend, we were training at that time, but of course, it’s a great result for them, and tells us what we have to be ready for today.
"We know they have a lot of quality players. They have changed a lot since we played that game in the FA Cup, bringing in a lot of signings, so I expect it to be a very different team from the one we faced in January."
Odegaard also hailed Forest's big-money summer recruitment drive, with several players set to feature this afternoon that were not at the club when the teams last met in January. Former captain Lewis Grabban scored the only goal of the game that day.
"It looks like they have added a lot of individual quality to what they already had, and like every team in the Premier League, they have shown they can beat anybody.
"I played the whole of that FA Cup game last season away at Forest, and I was very impressed with them that day, so if they have improved even more since then, then for sure they will be a difficult test today.
"They will be highly motivated to come to the Emirates today, with the confidence of their result last weekend as well. It’s up to us to get back to winning ways in the league."
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