Arsenal missing four defenders for Nottingham Forest trip

Arsenal will be without four defenders for their Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest, leaving the second-placed side with fewer defensive options for Sunday’s match. Ben White, Jurriën Timber, Piero Hincapie and William Saliba are all listed out, while Martin Zubimendi is doubtful with an ankle injury.

The absences are the central team-news issue ahead of the City Ground meeting. Arsenal’s defensive choices are reduced, but the available information does not confirm their starting XI. Zubimendi’s status is also uncertain, so he cannot yet be counted among the players available for the trip.

Christos Tzolis is separately listed out with a hamstring injury. The team-news report does not identify him as part of Arsenal’s defensive group; the four named defenders are White, Timber, Hincapie and Saliba. No starting XI is confirmed for either side, so the absences should not be read as a full picture of how the teams will line up.

The league positions give the fixture its immediate context. Arsenal have 15 points from six games and sit second, while Forest are 17th with five points. That is a ten-point gap between the sides before they meet, although the standings alone do not say how either team will approach the match.

The teams meet at the City Ground on Sunday, 18 October, with kick-off scheduled for 4.30pm BST. For Arsenal, the confirmed defensive absences mean the squad heads into the away fixture with fewer options at the back than usual. The unresolved question in the team news is whether Zubimendi can join the available group; the starting line-ups remain unconfirmed.