Crucial Arsenal trip to Nottingham Forest moved to ease fixture schedule | OneFootball

Forest were scheduled to face Newcastle and Arsenal in the space of just a couple of days

Mikel Arteta’s side have struggled at the City Ground in recent seasons

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

Arsenal’s pivotal trip to Nottingham Forest next month has been pushed back by a day.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are enjoying a superb season, sitting third in the Premier League and only two points behind the Gunners in second.

The two sides were scheduled to meet at the City Ground on February 25, but a new date has now been set for the fixture.

As per an initial Daily Mail report, the match has been pushed back to Wednesday, February 26 with a 7:30pm GMT kick-off time to avoid Forest playing twice in a little over 48 hours.

As it previously stood, Forest would have played away at Newcastle on the Sunday and then hosted Arsenal two days later. The Gunners will have an extra day of rest, as they take on West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on the Saturday.

Arsenal will have a weekend off after their trip to Forest in midweek, as they will not be involved in the fifth round of the FA Cup after being knocked out on penalties at home by Manchester United in round three. Nuno’s men will be in cup action again if they avoid an upset away at third-tier Exeter in early February.

Next month’s showdown could prove to have a significant impact on the outcome of the title race.

Forest have lost only twice at home this season and held Liverpool to a draw earlier this week. Arsenal beat Forest at home earlier this season, but have lost on three of their last four trips to the City Ground.