“We’re more than a match for them”- Nottingham Forest captain Ryan Yates sends a “chaotic warning” to Arsenal ahead of their clash on Sunday.
The 24-year-old midfielder, playing his first season of top-flight football, feels Forest can beat the Gunners and says his club would ‘like it to come quicker’ and that they are ‘more than a match’ for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Forest are bottom of the table after their opening 12 fixtures having gained promotion from the Championship last term by winning the play-offs.
They spent around £150m on 21 new players in the summer, including former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard and ex-Tottenham man Serge Aurier.
But Steve Cooper’s side have won just two games, have conceded 23 goals and are the second lowest scorers in the league, registering only eight goals.
They did, however, produce an impressive 1-0 victory over Liverpool in their last Premier League match with Taiwo Awoniyi securing a vital three points.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were held to a 1-1 draw at Southampton on Sunday and will be looking to return to winning ways when Forest travel to the Emirates.
The north London club have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season – winning nine of their 11 games – and are two points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
Yates, though, is quietly confident Forest can pull off another shock result against Arsenal.
‘We’d like it to come quicker,’ Yates said.
‘We’ll be underdogs again at the Emirates on Sunday but inside the dressing room we feel we’re more than a match for them.’
Quizzed about Forest’s win over Liverpool, Yates, who progressed through the midlands club’s youth academy, added: ‘We had to go back to basics.
‘The main thing was matching Liverpool’s intensity. They had injuries to key players so we thought, ‘Why not?’
