What impact will the signing of Ange Postecoglou have?
How far can Mikel Arteta push the Gunners’ game to the limit? The Spaniard has been in charge since December 2019 and has built a genuine title contender. Set pieces are a weapon for the 43-year-old’s team – in some games, even the only one. However, our focus in the Arsenal vs. Nottingham tip is on the strengths of the home side.
As is well known, these lie in their work against the ball. So far, the runners-up have conceded only 2.22 expected goals (2nd) and kept two clean sheets in three Premier League games. Of course, the home fans are hoping for a similar success to the first home game of the season (5-0 vs. Leeds) in the Arsenal vs. Nottingham prediction.
There has been a lot of commotion surrounding the visitors recently. Nuno Espirito Santo has been dismissed as a result of internal tensions and a drastically cooled relationship with owner Evangelos Marinakis. His successor is already on the bench against the Gunners.
Ange Postecoglou is now in charge of the Tricky Trees. Comparing the Arsenal – Nottingham odds, he has to live with being the clear underdog.
Across all competitions, Mikel Arteta and his team have won the last six direct duels with the Tricky Trees. The goal difference in these encounters suggests a class difference rather than a comparison between equals (19:2).
The hosts’ attacking efforts have not yet convinced us. Nevertheless, we have found promising Arsenal vs. Nottingham betting odds.
Arsenal vs. Nottingham Head-to-head record
The Gunners have not been defeated by the Garibaldi Reds in 14 home games across all competitions (10W, 4D). Last season, the eventual runners-up kept a clean sheet in both encounters, but only won the match at the Emirates Stadium (0-0, 3-0).
Nottingham travels to London following their first defeat of the season (0-3 vs. West Ham) and with a new coach on the sidelines. There, the visitors’ officials are hoping to continue their current run of four consecutive unbeaten Premier League away games (2W, 2D). However, Ange Postecoglou’s new team has not kept a clean sheet in eleven PL away games across two seasons.
Arsenal – Nottingham Tip
Which Ange Postecoglou will we see with the Garibaldi Reds? The dogmatic coach who demands a high defensive line, aggressive pressing, and a bold approach to building play? Or rather the pragmatic Postecoglou who accepted 17th place in the table with Spurs, focused fully on winning the Europa League, and achieved a final victory against Manchester United with only three shots on goal?
The 60-year-old will need some time to establish his footballing ideas. Both teams are capable of defending. Arsenal and the Tricky Trees have each allowed only 58 opponent touches in their own penalty area in their first three league games (3rd).
As usual, we expect the Gunners to be defensively solid with a focus on set pieces in attack. No other Premier League team has conceded fewer expected goals per opponent shot than the home side (0.07). However, Arteta’s protégés have only created 1.54 xG from open play (19th) and scored the highest percentage of goals from set pieces (50.1 percent).
A low-scoring encounter, possibly a clean sheet victory for the Gunners, are two realistic scenarios that can be combined. In any case, our basis is a clean sheet for Mikel Arteta’s team. Even in the defeat against Liverpool (0-1), the reigning champions were kept to less than one expected goal.
