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3 things to watch as Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest

By Victor Salazar

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gestures from the touchline during The FA Community Shield match between Manchester City against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 06: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta gestures from the touchline during The FA Community Shield match between Manchester City against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on August 06, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images) /
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Will Declan Rice start with Thomas Partey on Saturday? (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Will Declan Rice start with Thomas Partey on Saturday? (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

2. Arsenal’s midfield dynamic

Arteta rolled out Thomas Partey, Declan Rice, and Martin Odegaard against Manchester City. I think against the best sides, we will see Rice and Partey play the double pivot to control the tempo and match the midfield so that Arsenal will not be overrun as they were at the Etihad in April.

It will be interesting to see Arteta’s tactics against a side they beat 5-0 at home last season.

Does he roll out Partey as the DM, or does he immediately slot in the £105m man Rice into the fold? And if he doesn’t start them both together, who joins Odegaard in the midfield? Will we see Kai Havertz in the mix?

Continued on the next slide…

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