Chelsea v Nottingham Forest – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Chelsea face Nottingham Forest The Blues have won 11 of their last 15 league matches at Stamford Bridge, while Forest remain unbeaten in two trips to Chelsea, drawing 2-2 and then winning 1-0 last season.

Chelsea Form

Chelsea are starting to find their rhythm. They ended last season in strong form and have rebounded well after losing 2-0 to Manchester City on the opening day of this season under Enzo Maresca. A 6-2 win at Wolves was followed by a disappointing 1-1 home draw against Crystal Palace.

A fortunate win at Bournemouth saw the Cherries hit the woodwork twice and miss a penalty. Chelsea were dominant in a 3-0 win at West Ham and cruised past lower-league side Barrow 5-0 in the Carabao Cup. Last weekend, they beat Brighton 4-2, with Cole Palmer scoring all four goals.

Chelsea Team News

Enzo Maresca will be without the injured Reece James but otherwise has a fully fit squad. He is expected to make several changes after rotating the squad in the Europa Conference League on Thursday. The same starting XI that beat Brighton could feature.

Christopher Nkunku will likely have to settle for a place on the bench. Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke are expected to play wide, with Cole Palmer in the number ten role. Palmer will be fresh after being left out of the European squad alongside Wesley Fofana.

Chelsea Motivation

Chelsea are chasing consecutive home league wins. They will aim to build momentum at Stamford Bridge and keep pace in the race for the top four.

Maresca will consider only a win as a satisfactory result. Recently, he has adopted a more pragmatic approach, focusing on counter-attacks and less possession football.

Forest Form

Forest ended last season poorly with seven defeats in 11 matches, but finished strongly with two wins in their final three games. They’ve started this season well, following a 1-1 home draw against Bournemouth with a 1-0 win at Southampton, despite having only 35% possession and generating 2.45 xG.

After a loss to Newcastle on penalties in the Carabao Cup, they drew 1-1 at home to Wolves, despite dominating the match. They showed their ability in big games by winning 1-0 at Anfield, allowing very few clear chances. A 2-2 draw at Brighton was followed by a surprising 1-0 home loss to Fulham last weekend.

Forest Team News

Nuno will be without Danilo in midfield due to injury. He is likely to recall at least one of Anthony Elanga or Callum Hudson-Odoi to the starting XI after both were benched against Fulham.

Ibrahima Sangaré is also ruled out. After using a narrow 4-4-2 against Fulham, Taiwo Awoniyi is expected to drop to the bench, with Morgan Gibbs-White returning from a one-match suspension. 

Forest Motivation

Forest’s lineup will indicate their approach. An attacking 4-2-3-1 would show their intent to go after Chelsea.

If Nuno opts for three or even four central midfielders, with speedy players on the bench, a defensive approach is likely. This worked at Anfield, where their substitutes combined for the winner.

Key Stats

Chelsea have won 10 of their last 14 home matches.

Chelsea have scored 17 goals in their last 6 matches (all competitions).

Chelsea’s Cole Palmer scored 27 goals last season and has already scored 6 goals this season.

Forest have lost 11 of their last 21 away Premier League matches, conceding 39 goals.

Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their last 2 trips to Stamford Bridge (a 2-2 draw and a 1-0 win).

Verdict

A close match is expected. Forest can frustrate Chelsea and have the threat to score. Cole Palmer’s brilliance may be needed to guide the Blues to victory.