The Premier League returns this weekend with Nottingham Forest facing Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea in a crucial match at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Both teams have the potential to shine and will be eager to secure a victory. Nottingham Forest sit in 10th place in the Premier League and have struggled with consistency this season. They suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Fulham last week and will look to rebound in this upcoming match.
Chelsea Vs. Nottingham Forest: Preview
Under the guidance of Enzo Maresca, Chelsea is aiming for its sixth consecutive win in all competitions as it hosts Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge for Sunday’s Premier League match. The Blues recently secured back-to-back 4-2 victories against Brighton & Hove Albion and Gent, while Nottingham Forest fell 1-0 to Fulham last weekend.
Chelsea has not finished in the top four for the past couple of years, but as game week seven approaches, they have only been surpassed in points by Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City. With 15 goals scored, they boast the best-attacking record in this year’s Premier League. On Thursday evening, the goal-scoring hosts continued their strong form, achieving five consecutive wins, including three Premier League victories against Bournemouth, West Ham United, and Brighton.
Chelsea Vs. Nottingham Forest: Match Details
Match: Nottingham Forest Vs Chelsea
Date & Time: October 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm UK
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea Vs. Nottingham Forest: Team News & Head To Head
Chelsea
Once again, Chelsea’s medical bay is nearly empty, with the exceptions of captain Reece James and Omari Kellyman, both recovering from thigh injuries, and there is still no clear timeline for James’s return.Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka was a late withdrawal from the match against Gent due to illness, though he was not expected to feature in the Premier League anyway, as Maresca aims to field his strongest XI.
Among those rested in midweek, Jadon Sancho has assisted a goal in each of his three Premier League appearances for Chelsea and could become just the second player to achieve this in his first four matches for the club, following Cesc Fabregas.
Nottingham Forest
Continuing with the trend of dynamic English forwards, Forest will welcome Morgan Gibbs-White back after he served his one-game suspension against Fulham, where his creativity was greatly missed.
Nicolas Dominguez may be the unfortunate player to make way for Gibbs-White, and there could be other changes in the attack; Taiwo Awoniyi only played 45 minutes against Fulham and is likely to be replaced by either Elanga or former Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo remain sidelined for Forest, but the rest of the squad is healthy for their trip to West London.
Head To Head
Chelsea have a strong historical record against Nottingham Forest, winning 41 of the 98 encounters between the two teams, compared to Nottingham Forest’s 27 victories. Since returning to the Premier League in 2022, Nottingham Forest has lost only one of their last four matches against Chelsea, with that lone defeat occurring in their previous meeting in May this year.
Nottingham Forest secured a 1-0 victory in this fixture last season and has not won consecutive league matches away against Chelsea since 1908. Additionally, since their Premier League return, Nottingham Forest has experienced the highest number of away defeats against London teams in the league.
Possible Starting Lineup
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Ward-Prowse, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Chelsea Vs. Nottingham Forest: Prediction
Forest have limited their Premier League opponents to just 18 shots on target this season—only Manchester City can claim a lower number so Chelsea shouldn’t expect to easily break down the Tricky Trees. Nonetheless, with a player like Palmer on their side, Chelsea should still navigate their way through with relative ease and achieve their sixth consecutive victory.
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