Goals from Nketiah and Xhaka gave Arsenal a 2-0 lead over Nottingham Forest at halftime.
Arsenal and Nottingham are set to meet in the first leg of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) at the Emirates Stadium in London, England, on Dec. 12 at 9 p.m. ET. Arsenal jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Nketiah and Xhaka.
The Gunners pulled out a 4-3-3 formation. Ramsdale was in goal and Timber-Saliba-White-Party formed the back four. Rice-Haberts-Oudegaard formed a midfield combination, with Martinelli-Nketiah-Saka up front.
Nottingham came out in a 3-4-3 formation. Turner was in goal and McKenna-Worrall-Bowley made up the back three. Eina-Mangala-Yates-Oriel lined up in midfield, with Danilu-Johnson-Gibbs-White up front.
Arsenal played a modified back three. Party, a defensive midfielder, started at right fullback and dropped into the center when in possession, creating a numerical advantage in the midfield and being involved in the buildup.
Nottingham played a 5-4-1 formation in defense. Both wingbacks, Eina-Orié and Aina, dropped defensively to form a back five, while flanker Danilu-Gibbs-White also dropped defensively.
In the 26th minute, Arsenal’s Nketiah scored the game’s first goal. From a corner kick, Martinelli dribbled the ball into the path of Nketiah. Nketiah remained calm inside the penalty box, beating one defender 안전놀이터 and finishing with a right-footed shot.
Six minutes later, Saka added another goal. In the 32nd minute, Xhaka dribbled from the right flank into the middle of the box and scored his second goal with a fantastic left-footed curling shot. It rattled the net with a trajectory that the goalkeeper could do nothing about.