Today’s Premier League fixture sees Arsenal take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground, however this match will not be televised by either Sky Sports or BT Sport. So why not you might ask? Well there are three main reasons why Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest isn’t being broadcasted today, as outlined below…
What happened ?
Arsenal had been on a brilliant run, winning 13 of their first 14 games in the Premier League.
However, after a disappointing draw against Southampton, a 2-0 defeat to PSV leaves the English side very much in need of more league points.
Although Arsenal’s form has dipped, they remain one of England’s two representatives at this season’s Champions’ League. Arsenal qualified for Europe’s premier competition by finishing third last season, with Manchester United and Manchester City taking first and second respectively.
This is also Arsenal’s 16th consecutive year competing in the tournament, which is an English record.
Arsenal fans will be able to watch their side take on Nottingham Forest on Saturday night, with the match being broadcast live on BT Sport 2 from 6pm GMT.
The Gunners are currently favourites to progress into the next round following their 4-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia earlier this month. However, if Arsenal fail to win on Saturday then it could leave them vulnerable ahead of Tuesday’s crucial game against FC Basel at home.
Arsenal are sitting just one point above Group E leaders Basel and any slip-up could jeopardise qualification.
If Arsenal manage to keep hold of their three points then the north Londoners would need only a draw or a win against Swiss side FC Sion on Wednesday night to guarantee passage into the knockout stages.
In theory Arsenal should qualify as group winners but things can change quickly in football as shown by how quickly Arsenal fell out of contention for this season’s Premier League title after losing three games in quick succession.
Arsenal were top of the table when those defeats came against Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea but now sit fourth behind Leicester who had been without a win since September 2015.
Arsenal face a tough task in their final four fixtures: Away to Leicester (currently first) on Sunday; Home to Everton (currently sixth) on April 30; Away to Swansea (currently eighth) on May 7; Home to West Bromwich Albion (currently eleventh) on May 15.
All eyes will be on Arsenal during these upcoming weeks to see if they can maintain their place in the top four and consequently ensure themselves a place in the Champions’ League.
A bad run of results could potentially hinder Arsenal’s chances, although they still remain top of the Premier League table, but will be hoping that they don’t experience another slump similar to that which followed their three-game losing streak last month. However, Arsenal are running out of time to secure European football next season.
With just four games remaining Arsenal know that the minimum requirement is to finish in the top five. Arsenal find themselves on course for a potential ten successive Champions’ League qualification – something not achieved by any other team – and owever, remain top of the Premier league table but will be hoping no more slumps happen .
Arsenal must retain their top four status to enter the Champions League in 2016-2017.
A top five finish would be enough for them to enter, and therefore there’s a strong chance Arsenal won’t drop below fifth position in the Premier League.
Their current campaign has been full of ups and downs, and Wenger must work hard to regain momentum, especially in their upcoming clash against lowly bottom club Aston Villa. The players and the fans are undoubtedly on the same page and will be going all out to win the remainder of their Premier League matches.
Although they’re through to the last 16 in the Champions League, Arsenal know they must play better than what we’ve seen against PSV in order to go further in Europe . It was always going to be a difficult task but this season could be a defining one for Wenger and his future at the club.
(Six+ sentences using the words: Premier League.): Their current campaign has been full of ups and downs, and Wenger must work hard to regain momentum, especially in their upcoming clash against lowly bottom club Aston Villa.
The players and the fans are undoubtedly on the same page and will be going all out to win the remainder of their Premier League matches.
Despite Arsenal’s impressive start to this season, they have struggled in the Premier League recently. Since defeating Southampton 3-0 in December, Arsenal have lost two of their four Premier League matches against West Ham United and Stoke City.
It doesn’t bode well for a top four finish, but it’s been a largely successful season so far for Arsenal on both fronts.
A win against Nottingham Forest could be just what they need to improve their form before hosting Basel in the return leg of their Europa League tie.
Arsenal currently sit second in Group A with six points from their opening four games, but with only nine left to play they will be hopeful of finishing first ahead of RB Salzburg or Ludogorets Razgrad as that would see them avoid stronger opponents in the round of 32.
Arsenal also need to be careful when facing FC Basal who lead the group with 10 points, while PSV Eindhoven occupy third place with seven points.
Arsenal did lose 2-0 away at PSV in the Europa League last week, but they did manage to beat them 2-1 back home a few weeks ago thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud.
Is it good for football?
Arsenal are taking on one of their former rivals, Nottingham Forest, and it is a shame that this match won’t be televised.
The game against PSV last night was played in front of empty seats which begs the question: Is Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest good for football? A game between two English clubs shouldn’t be considered as a secondary event.
It should be viewed as a must-watch event by all football fans and every effort should be taken to ensure that this happens.
In any other scenario, a clash between two top European teams would have been given greater priority than Arsenal vs Nottingham Forest but given the way this season has panned out so far, it makes sense for Sky Sports to air Southampton’s match with Chelsea instead.
So what now?
It is a match that will go down in footballing folklore and one that should be remembered as much as any of the other big matches we have seen this season.
It’s a shame, then, that it won’t get the recognition it deserves because it is not being televised.
The reasons for this are many and varied, but for me there are two main ones: firstly, it’s at 12pm which means many people will not be able to watch it; secondly, there is only one channel showing live coverage from 3pm onwards.
This means that if you want to watch this game after work you either need to go for your lunch break earlier than usual or work through your lunch hour.
It’s just too complicated to try and find somewhere with a TV showing the match at 1pm so I can catch up on my sleep later in the day!
It is difficult to understand why certain games are not shown when they really should be – they’re important games where anything could happen.
That’s why we’re proud to say here at SBSCUP®TV: Live Football Every DayTM