Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: preview, team news, how to watch and prediction

Chelsea have enjoyed a promising start under new manager Enzo Maresca this season as they are currently fourth in the Premier League table with 13 points from six games.

Following the opening-day defeat against Manchester City, the Blues are currently unbeaten in the league. They opened their Conference League campaign in midweek against Gent and won the game 4-2.

Now, Chelsea will host Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon. Marezca’s side will be desperate to win this game to close the gap up top with Liverpool.

On the other hand, Nottingham Forest have also had a bright start to this season as they were unbeaten in the league before losing to Fulham last weekend.

Nuno Espírito Santo’s side defeated Liverpool at Anfield this season and that is the only loss for Arne Slot’s side thus far this term. They are currently 10th in the league with nine points from six games.

They are well ahead of the relegation zone at the moment so they would be able to play freely in this fixture. Therefore, the West London club will have to be at the top of their game to beat their Sunday’s opponent. It is expected to be a tasty encounter for the Premier League football fans.

Previous meetings

Chelsea have lost only one out of the last seven games in all competitions against the Reds, winning four. However, the Blues were on the losing side when they last hosted Nottingham Forest in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.

How to watch

The game will kick off at 2 PM UK time and the match will not be televised live in the UK.

Supporters can also watch the match in person by buying Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest tickets from the club exchanges or via trusted resellers online.

Team news

Chelsea don’t have many injury problems at the moment but Reece James and Omari Kellyman remain sidelined with their respective problems. James has been continuing with his injury problems in recent years and hasn’t started a game since November last year.

As for Forest, they don’t have many injury problems either at the moment but they will be without Ibrahim Sangare and Danilo due to their respective injury issues. The Brazilian sustained a broken leg injury in the opening game of this campaign and his season is all but over already as a result of that.

Moreover, Morgan Gibbs-White is set to return after serving a one-game ban last time out versus Fulham having picked up a red card against Brighton and Hove Albion.

Predicted line-ups

Maresca is likely to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation with Robert Sanchez set to return to be in the starting eleven after remaining on the bench in midweek.

Wesley Fofana is expected to start at the heart of the defence for the hosts and alongside the Frenchman, Levi Colwill should commence. Malo Gusto could be deployed in the right-back role, while Marc Cucurella is expected to be on the opposite side.

Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are expected to be in the engine room, pushing Cole Palmer into the attacking midfield position. Therefore, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga could return to the bench despite scoring in midweek.

Jadon Sancho would return to the left flank after a midweek breather and Noni Madueke is likely to be on the opposite side. So, Mykhailo Mudryk and Pedro Neto will have to make do with a place on the bench in this game.

Nicolas Jackson would commence in the centre-forward position ahead of Christopher Nkunku – who scored against Gent last time out.

Expected Chelsea line-up vs Forest

Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández, Palmer; Madueke, Sancho, Jackson

As for the visitors, Nuno has been using the 4-2-3-1 formation at the Reds and is expected to go with the same system this weekend. Matz Sels is likely to be in goal for Forest.

In front of the Belgian, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo would be the centre-back partnership for Nuno’s side, while Ola Aina and Alex Moreno could be the two fullbacks.

Ryan Yates and James Ward-Prowse should be in the midfield pivot role with Gibbs-White in the attacking midfield position. Nicolas Dominguez and Elliott Anderson might be the two wingers for Nottingham Forest.

So, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Anthony Elanga could feature off the bench in the second half to hurt the opposition defence with their pace. Chris Wood is likely to be leading the line for the Reds.

Expected Nottingham Forest line-up vs Chelsea

Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Moreno; Ward-Prowse, Yates, Gibbs-White; Dominguez, Wood, Anderson

Key players

After joining the West London club from Manchester City last year, Palmer has established himself as the talismanic figure for Chelsea in no time. Having displayed his qualities in the Premier League last term, he has also started the new season promisingly, scoring six goals and registering four assists in six league appearances.

Therefore, the onus will be on him to unlock the opposition’s backline with his creativity and also score goals when the opportunity comes to him.

Sancho has had a strong start for Chelsea after joining them from Manchester United on deadline day this summer. He has already made three assists in as many appearances this season. He will be hoping to continue his bright performances in this encounter as well.

Jackson has already made seven goal contributions in six games this season so he will be looking to continue his goal-scoring form versus Forest.

As for the Reds, Gibbs-White’s return will be a huge boost for them as he is one of the key players for Nottingham Forest.

Nuno will look to use Hudson-Odoi and Elanga’s pace to hurt Chelsea’s defence in the second half as they did against Liverpool so the West London club will have to be careful about that.

Nottingham Forest’s defence and the goalkeeper will be needed to be at the top of their games to come away with a positive result from this encounter as Chelsea have been outstanding in front of the goal thus far this season.

Prediction

Forest like to stay compact and hit the opposition in counter-attack. They haven’t scored many goals so far in the league this season but haven’t conceded many either, scoring six goals in as many games and conceding five.

However, the Blues have been a free flowing goal-scoring team thus far this season under Maresca and they have been excellent at home. Therefore, the hosts will be heavy favourite to win and come away with all three points from this encounter.

So, anything but a victory for Chelsea in this fixture would be a big shock. But, Forest won’t go down without fighting. It is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea 2-1 Nottingham Forest.