Mark Lawrenson believes Arsenal will “probably be too strong” for Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners will be looking to win the FA Cup crown for the second time under Mikel Arteta after Arsenal beat Chelsea FC at Wembley in the final in 2020.
The north London side have shown notable signs of improvement in the 2021-22 season as the Gunners challenge Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United in the top-four race.
Arsenal lost 2-1 to Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium despite Arteta’s side putting up a good fight against the Premier League leaders.
The Gunners won four successive Premier League games before their defeat by Manchester City despite having taken the lead through Bukayo Saka in the first half.
Nottingham Forest have lost their last two games in the Championship to drop down to ninth place in the second-tier table.
The two-time FA Cup winners are 12 points adrift of an automatic promotion spot under manager Steve Cooper.
BBC Sport pundit Lawrenson is backing Arsenal to edge to a narrow win against Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Sunday evening.
“Forest versus Arsenal is a pretty tasty tie, and it is has got a kind of old-school feel about it,” Lawrenson told BBC Sport.
“It would be in Forest’s DNA for them to turn it on, but Arsenal are probably going to be too strong – just – so I am going to go with them to win 3-2.”
Arsenal are in fourth position and a point ahead of West Ham in the race to secure a spot in next season’s Champions League competition.
Author’s Verdict
Arsenal look a different side under Arteta in 2021-22 so it’s difficult to imagine the Gunners slipping up against their Championship opponents.
The Spanish head coach is continuing to rebuild the Arsenal team but another FA Cup trophy would keep the supporters onside.
Arsenal have easily dispatched the so-called smaller teams in the Premier League over the past month or so.
The Gunners should ease to a comfortable win against Forest in the third-round tie at City Ground on Sunday.