As a result of playing on Sunday, Arsenal were due to play in Cup on Wednesday

However, Nottingham Forest are playing on Friday so the Gunners compromised

The decision has been viewed as the lesser of two evils between the sides

Arsenal's next fixture isn't until next Monday, so they have a chance to recover

Arsenal agreed to play tonight's clash against Nottingham Forest just 48 hours after their win over Aston Villa as a gesture of goodwill to the Championship club.

From all the Premier League sides that played on Sunday, the Gunners are the only club to play their third round Carabao Cup clash this evening.

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Manchester United, West Ham, Wolves, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Chelsea all play tomorrow night.

Arsenal have agreed to play Nottingham Forest just 48 hours after their win on Sunday

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But Sportsmail can reveal Arsenal, following talks with Forest and the EFL, agreed to the tight turnaround to help to Sabri Lamouchi side's preparations ahead of their vital Championship clash at Stoke on Friday night.

Playing the Carabao Cup clash on Wednesday night would have caused obvious problems for Forest and while there's a realisation at the Emirates Stadium that playing so close to Sunday's win over Villa doesn't provide ideal preparation for Unai Emery's team ahead of tonight's clash, it has been viewed as the lesser of two evils given Forest's game is on Friday night.

Arsenal's next fixture isn't until Monday night when they travel to Manchester United, another factor that was considered.

As a result, Emery is set to make wholesale changes from the team that faced Villa on Sunday, with Rob Holding set to make his first appearance since December after recovering from a serious knee injury.

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