Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Opponents for the opening round of games are two-time world champion boxer Anthony Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn, who have a big occasion ahead of them this weekend.

Joshua fights Finland's Robert Helenius at London's O2 Arena on Saturday after Hearn arranged the fight at a week's notice when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a voluntary drugs test.

Nottingham Forest had the worst away record in the Premier League last season, with only one win, five draws and 11 goals from 19 games.

Steve Cooper did well to keep them up, and they haven't had such a dramatic overhaul to their squad this summer as they did in 2022, but this looks like a very difficult start for them.

Arsenal are without injured striker Gabriel Jesus, so there are immediate questions about whether their £65m signing Kai Havertz will replace him, and whether he is a natural goalscorer.

I don't think he is, but the Gunners will still have too much for Forest.

Mikel Arteta's side will want to get off to an absolute flyer but, even if they do, I can't see the celebrations being as wild as when they won the Community Shield/World Cup last weekend. I just hope their fans have recovered in time for this game.

Sutton's prediction: 3-0

Joshua's prediction: 2-0

Hearn's prediction: We like Nottingham Forest because our fighter Leigh Wood is hopefully going to fight at the City Ground next summer, subject to him beating Josh Warrington in October, but I think we're going to see a powerful start from Arsenal. 3-0

Image source, Reuters

Pat Riddell,The Famous Club, external

Last summer, all the talk was of Nottingham Forest’s 22 signings.

How would Steve Cooper integrate them? How would they play? What would happen?

The deluge of injuries - now addressed by a number of conditioning and fitness appointments - ensured the need for all those players; as well as a further seven additions in January.

This summer, it’s the lack of signings that fans are talking about.

Aside from the arrivals of Ola Aina and Anthony Elanga, discussions have been ongoing with Manchester Unitedabout Dean Henderson for weeks. Forest have at least got a fit first-choice goalkeeper after Matt Turner arrived, but a further three additions are required if Cooper’s side is to improve this season.

Thankfully, the difficult job of engendering team spirit, building understanding and establishing a style of play all happened last season.

But building on the progress that happened from October onwards means keeping the ball better, scoring more goals and improving on the abysmal away record that saw only eight points.

Survival will be the minimum target again this season, although a comfortable mid-table position is not out of the question.

However, the arrival of a few new signings - such as Ibrahim Sangare - will be the difference between just staying up and actually having some breathing space.

Nigel Reo-Coker
Former West Ham midfielder on the Football Daily podcast

The biggest thing for Arsenal is that they, for me, don't have a prolific goalscorer. Havertz is a good player and can change the way by being a target man and bring the team up. But he is not a clinical goalscorer. Gabriel Jesus is good but he gets injured a lot. Unreliable.

That is one of the biggest things that I think is going to be an issue for Arsenal still. They don't have a prolific goalscorer t put the ball in the back of the net and keep them up there. But everything else looks good.

Arsenal

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaking to TNT Sports before the match against Nottingham Forest: "We need to show that we can perform and deserve to win and that is what are going to do today.

"I think that is what every manager wants. That every year we get better. We have improved the way of play."

On his team selection: "It is every game demands different things and Eddie [Nketiah] didn't play last game and has done really well in pre-season and he deserves to play

Can you confirm if you are playing three at the back? "No."

Why does Nketiah start? "Because he has been really good and always been a threat. Every game needs different qualities. This is how we start the game and we will probably finish in a very different way."

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham

Image source, Getty Images

There is serious interest in Brennan Johnson from other Premier League clubs, and it will be hard for Forest to keep the player. That's due to the FFP regulations, which are affecting a lot of clubs in this window/season and Forest are no exception.

The £105m permitted losses over a three-year period are reduced by £22m for every season a club is in the Championship. So Forest's limit for the last three seasons is only £61m, which will increase by a further £22m this season.

They are close to the limit, and so potentially big player purchases will have to be funded by sales.

The biggest profit they could make from a sale is from Johnson, so while the thought of losing one of the club's brightest stars might be unpalatable, it is the reality of football finance that they might have to.

Nigel Reo-Coker
Former West Ham midfielder on the Football Daily podcast

I'm not surprised if I'm honest. The only thing that I would say that would have kept Harry Kane back is breaking that Premier League record that Alan Shearer holds.

But with everything you have seen going on at Tottenham now, I am not surprised at all. I think it is a difficult one and I think Postecoglou we have to give him credit for coming out and saying that [he didn't try to convince him to stay].

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea and Scotland winger Pat Nevin on Arsenal's Community Shield victory over Manchester City: "Arsenal won the Community Shield in an unsurprisingly close match, but did we learn much?

"Not really, other than Manchester City can still change the game with quality substitutions. Kevin de Bruyne, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer added some much-needed fizz. One day, someone will have to take on De Bruyne's mantle as creator-in-chief and it looks likely to be Foden or Palmer.

"For the Gunners, new-signing Declan Rice looks like he has been in the side for a decade, whereas Kai Havertz looked frighteningly like the player who appeared isolated up front for Chelsea last season.

"Arsenal fans, don't worry. The German will return to his favoured position behind the striker when Jesus is fit. Then we will see him at his best.

"We pore over pre-season results, but do they tell us anything? The Community Shield is little more than a glorified friendly to most players."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

Image source, EPA

This is a really awkward one because it is a direct question and there are layers to the answer.

If the question is "Will Arsenal win the league?", I would say no. Manchester City are still better.

If the question is "Have Arsenal spent wisely?", I would say yes. In football we look a lot at results and goals and tables and draw conclusions accordingly.

Managers, especially those like Mikel Arteta, talk about process. It sounds vague but it is understandable. He wants to build a squad that is strong and can compete for all the major honours.

Pep Guardiola talks all the time about "being there". If you are there, you give yourself a chance to win trophies.

But there are many things, one-off incidents, luck, strength of the opposition etc that can stop it from happening.

I think it will be exceptionally tough if Arsenal start the season being told the only way they can improve is by going from second to first.

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Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer

Last season: 2nd

Predicted 2023-24 position: 3rd

Arsenal were superb for so long last season but cracked late on under relentless pressure from Manchester City.

The campaign still represented great progress as manager Mikel Arteta's side played some superb football and they have had a statement summer in the markets in an attempt to go one better.

Declan Rice's final fee of £100m plus £5m in add-ons was hefty, but he will be an outstanding addition in midfield after leading West Ham United to the Europa Conference League trophy last season. Arteta has huge faith in £65m Kai Havertz after his arrival from Chelsea, while Netherlands defender Jurrien Timber could prove another top-class addition as Arsenal contemplate a Champions League campaign.

The Community Shield win over Manchester City was a morale booster and Arsenal have real quality in Bukayo Saka, captain Martin Odegaard, Gabrial Martinelli and others.

Do I see Arsenal as title winners? No. Do I see Arsenal as trophy winners? Yes.

Find out Phil’s full Premier League predictions here

Wes Morgan
Former Nottingham Forest defender on BBC's Football Daily podcast

I think he is going to be years older. When he returns who knows how old he will be. The older you get it makes it harder and I'm sure he'd like to do it all. Win trophies and break records.

He has broken a lot of records but I don't think he is quite got the trophy cabinet. That is probably one of the main reasons he has gone to Bayern Munich. Top team, chance of winning trophies and accolades will be there for the taking.

I think his decision to go was probably based on that.

Nigel Reo-Coker
Former West Ham midfielder on the Football Daily podcast

The money that they have spent - they have backed him. They exceeded expectations tremendously last season, pushing Man City for a Premier League title. Now they have backed him, they are competing again in the Premier League, and also now have Champions League football.

Arsenal have to win something this season. If they don't win something, after £100m spent on one player and strengthening the departments you need to, it would be seen as a massive failure and massive steps back.

I think the other managers have enough time and space. Klopp won't be under pressure this season. The only way he will be under pressure is if Liverpool get Caicedo. Then I think the pressure will turn up on Klopp. If they don't get Caicedo I think he will get another year of grace.

Postecoglou is definitely under no pressure whatsoever because Tottenham is a shambolic club at the moment.

Whoa now, Phil, let's not be hasty.

With all due respect to the lot I'm about to slate, have you seen some of the teams in the Premier League this season?!

Spurs are not going to be in a dog fight to stay up.

That looks like an understandably conservative Forest side to me.

They know the odds are stacked against them getting a result this afternoon so Steve Cooper has prioritised containment.

Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson will be leant on to provide the attacking spark on the counter.

Oli Price-Bates,The Fresh Arsenal podcast, external

Arsenal head into the new season stronger than the last and crucially with a number of different ways to play. The team got really good at plan A last season, but when that wasn’t possible, through injuries or tricky opposition, Arsenal fell short.

Mikel Arteta has been backed in the market and the signings of Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber provide him with a number of different tactical approaches to suit certain scenarios and opposition.

We saw the first of the tinkering in Arsenal’s Community Shield win on Sunday. There was Timber inverting at left-back and Havertz playing as Arsenal’s ‘false 9’, but almost as a high-pressing attacking midfielder, with a physical presence that gave the Gunners a real outlet in possession and posed new questions for City’s defensive structure.

Arteta has to find the balance between tinkering and consistency though - a point made more crucial given Arsenal’s participation in the Champions League this season and with Premier League games seemingly set to last 100 minutes.

It’s really great to have no clear idea how Arsenal will line up game to game (in a good way!). This squad is starting to have the depth needed to truly compete on multiple fronts and I’m really intrigued to see how Arteta utilises the new signings in order to create new patterns of play and unpredictability for the opposition week to week and even within games.

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Interesting.

Not sure that is the Arsenal starting XI many would have expected. Takes a bit of working out who is playing where?

However, all three of the summer signings are in. Intrigued to see how Declan Rice slots in, whether Kai Havertz can thrive in a new environment and what the exciting Jurriwn Timber brings to... whatever position he's playing today!

Mikel Arteta makes just one change to the Arsenal starting line-up that beat Manchester City on penalties to claim the Community Shield last weekend.

Centre-back Gabriel comes out and is replaced by striker Eddie Nketiah.

The Gunners' three summer signings, Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber, all start.

Arsenal XI: Ramsdale, Saliba, White, Partey, Saka, Odegaard, Martinelli, Timber, Nketiah, Havertz, Rice.

Subs: Hein, Gabriel, Smith-Rowe, Kiwior, Tomiyasu, Trossard, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson.

Image source, BBC Sport

Nottingham Forest start their new number one - former Arsenal keeper Matt Turner, who only signed from the Gunners earlier this week.

Forests' top scorer from last season, Taiwo Awoniyi, starts the opening game of the 2023-24 season from the bench and is joined by summer signings Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood, who was at the club on loan for the latter half of last season.

Nottingham Forest XI: Turner, Worrall, Mangala, Gibbs-White, Johnson, Yates, Aurier, McKenna, Danilo, Boly, Aina.

Subs: Hovarth, Williams, Kouyate, Awoniyi, Chris Wood, Niakhate, Elanga, Freuler, O’Brien.

Image source, BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

BBC Radio London's Phil Parry has been predicting what other teams can expect from Arsenal this season on The Far Post podcast: "I think we should be expecting a greater belief, a greater feeling that they can actually push on and challenge. They've certainly backed Mikel Arteta and their ambition in the summer - let's face it - with the amount of money that's been spent, and they're still talking about potentially spending a little bit more money.

"I know they've got the Champions League now that they're going to have to focus on as well. But, when it comes to the Premier League, you don't go and spend £105m on one player, and then spend some on other players as well, and not expect to at least replicate the previous season."

Former Charlton defender and BBC Radio London co-commentator Steve Brown added: "I think there will be an air of optimism around the stadium itself when the fans get back in the ground. In terms of what they did last year, there's a great platform there to be confident in their ability moving forward. I guess it's just about Mikel Arteta and the start they have.

"If you have a poor start, the confidence can get dented and then you're playing catch up. But if they have a really fast start, the belief kicks in really quickly and you get a buzz in the dressing room, and the new lads settle in really well. So they've got a really crucial period coming up.

"I do expect them to be up there challenging Man City again. If they don't with the amount of money they've spent - and I think it's gone under the radar how much they have spent as it's a small fortune - I think they're going to come under a lot of pressure."

Listen to the full podcast here