Soccer Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Fulham - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - September 16, 2022 Nottingham Forest's Lewis O'Brien celebrates scoring their second goal with Sam Sturridge REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Nottingham Forest have been handed an injury boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash against Arsenal as Lewis O’Brien returns to training.
The Lowdown: Arsenal looming
Steve Cooper’s side have a tough test ahead of them this weekend as they take on the Gunners, who are top of the league table, at the Emirates on Sunday.
Despite beating Liverpool 1-0 last weekend, Forest still have a challenge ahead of them if they want to pick up what would be their third victory of the campaign this time around.
Luckily for Cooper, it appears as though he may have one of his key players available for this match against Mikel Arteta’s side.
The Latest: O’Brien returns
According to a recent report from the Nottingham Post, O’Brien has been pictured in training after missing Forest’s three previous league games through illness.
Assuming the Englishman will be fit enough to play against Arsenal, this will surely be a big positive for the visiting club.
The Verdict: Big boost
Across the eight league games that the 24-year-old has played in for Forest this season, O’Brien has shown how much of a useful midfield figure he is, on and off the ball.
For example, from a defensive point of view, the Englishman has racked up the second-highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (21) at the club.
Then, in terms of his attacking output, only four other Forest players have made more shot-creating actions than O’Brien (17).
Should Lewis O'Brien start against Arsenal?
Yes
No
Hailed as an “exceptional” player by Carlos Corberan, the Forest star could be a vital figure for his team this weekend, especially in terms of his defensive talent as only Manchester City (69) and Liverpool (64) have had more shots at goal than Arsenal (63) in the league this season.
Moving forward, if the player is fit enough to play this weekend, Cooper should have no doubts over putting him back in the starting XI, as his presence could be the difference in seeing Forest pick up a positive result or not.
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