Forest face D-Day as chaos looms

NOTTINGHAM FOREST expect to know in the coming days when their hearing before an independent commission will take place after they were charged with breaking Premier League spending rules. Everton were docked 10 points in November and this will be Forest’s worst fear, but more pertinent than the punishment is when the hearing will occur. If it does not happen until the spring, and Forest lodge an appeal, it may mean teams end the season not knowing which league they will be in next term.

ARSENAL’s last three visits to the City Ground had ended in defeat, including the 1-0 loss last May that handed the title to Manchester City. The home fans were keen to remind their visitors of this as they crowed, ‘You lost the league at the City Ground’. The Gunners’ previous win here was a 4-0 cruise in a League Cup tie in September 2016.

ONE of the stars of Arsenal’s Invincibles team was on the pitch before kick-off. Looking as though he had not aged a day, there was Robert Pires alongside fellow France World Cup winners Lilian Thuram and Christian Karembeu. Olivier Dacourt, Viv Anderson, Wes Morgan and Brazilian Ze Maria were also here in what would be a handy veterans’ team.

FORMER Arsenal man Matt Turner joined Forest last summer but his displays — and those of Odysseas Vlachodimos — have been so shaky that the club want to sign a goalkeeper this week. After an enquiry about Peter Gulacsi was knocked back by RB Leipzig, Forest were offered Kasper Schmeichel and approached Crystal Palace about taking Sam Johnstone on loan. Turner made yet another error in the second half here as he failed to keep out Gabriel Jesus’s cross-shot. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund midfielder Giovanni Reyna, 21, is still considering his options with Forest keen to sign him on loan for the rest of the season.