Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Nottingham Forest host Chelsea in the Premier League, in a very important game for both the fight for survival and the race for European football.

Date: 11/05/24

Kick-off time: 17:30

Venue: City Ground

Barring a crushing 5-0 defeat to Arsenal, Chelsea have seen an upturn in from in recent weeks. Three wins and a draw in their last five has allowed them to climb up to seventh in the table, ahead of Manchester United on goal difference. It leaves them in a good position for Europa Conference League football at the very least, but they are still within reach of Newcastle in sixth, which would mean they qualify for the Europa League. Three points would strengthen their chances, though any dropped points would cause a significant blow to their hopes.

The hosts, in contrast, are fighting to retain their Premier League status for another year. They are on track to do so, after a huge 3-1 victory at Sheffield United last weekend. They remain 17th, but are now three points clear of Luton in 18th with two games to play. Any points this weekend would leave them within touching distance of safety on the final day of the season. Defeat would make for a very nervy finish.

Goals should be a factor in this one, considering Chelsea’s recent potency in front of goal, but also their inconsistencies at the back. They have scored seven goals in their last two with clean sheets in each, but had kept just one in the 12 games prior. Forest have endured similar defensive struggles, conceding at least once in their last 11. Cole Palmer will be the main threat for Mauricio Pochettino, with his 21 goals on the season only bettered in the league by Erling Haaland. Nicolas Jackson has also enjoyed a good debut campaign with 13. The hosts will rely on Chris Wood, who leads the way for the club with 12, but also ex-Blues winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who netted a brace last weekend.

Since Forest’s promotion in 2022, these two sides have met three times in the top flight. Surprisingly, Chelsea have struggled against their opponents, failing to pick up a win. In those games, there have been two draws and a Forest win. Prior to this, the Blues had won seven in a row in all competitions, though this dates back to 1998. The reverse fixture earlier this season at Stamford Bridge ended in the visitors’ favour in a narrow 1-0 win. The winning goal came from Anthony Elanga a few minutes into the second half.

Nottingham Forest

Neco Williams is the only injury concern for Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea

Chelsea have a number of injuries, including Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez who are ruled out for the season. Reece James and Lesley Ugochukwu could make their long-awaited returns this weekend after Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill provided a boost by making the bench last week.

Nottingham Forest

In their last five games, Nottingham Forest have won one, drawn one and lost three. It has been a tough stretch for Forest, but they took a huge step towards Premier League safety with a victory in their most recent game. This was a 3-1 win at already relegated Sheffield United. The Blades took the lead early on from the penalty spot, but the visitors were able to turn it around with an excellent strike from Callum Hudson-Odoi and a Ryan Yates goal. Hudson-Odoi then added a third.

It was a good response to two consecutive defeats against Man City and Everton. At home to City, they lost 2-0, though rued multiple missed chances, in particular from Chris Wood. The Champions were able to take the victory with goals from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland. They lost by the same scoreline to Everton, as Idrissa Gueya and Dwight McNeil found the back of the net in either half.

This followed a home game with Wolves, in which they drew 2-2. Forest dominated the shot attempts, though their visitors edged possession. Matheus Cunha put Wolves in front, but Morgan Gibbs-White equalised on the stroke of half-time. The first game of this run was a 3-1 loss at Tottenham. Wood cancelled out an own goal from Murrillo, but Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro secured the win for Spurs in the second half.

Chelsea

In their last five games, Chelsea have won two, lost two and drawn one. It had been a downward trend in form for the Blues, but they have picked it back up as of late with two wins in a row. Their most recent game was against West Ham, in which they won 5-0. It was a fantastic display with Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson (x2) all on the scoresheet.

This followed a 2-0 win over their arch rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. The hosts were on top throughout, and were rewarded with an opener from Trevoh Chalobah, who scored with his head. Nicolas Jackson doubled the lead in the second half with a header of his own, rebounding from Cole Palmer’s free kick which had hit the bar. It was a good response to the disappointment of dropping points at Aston Villa, as they drew 2-2. They came back from two down after a Marc Cucurella own goal and Morgan Rogers strike had given Villa a comfortable advantage at the break. Chelsea fought back in the second half with goals from Madueke and Gallagher. They were unlucky not to win at the death, as VAR ruled out a potential winner from Axel Disasi for a foul.

Their heaviest defeat of the season came at Arsenal, a game they lost 5-0. The Gunners got off to a quick start with a goal from Trossard, before Ben White and Kai Havertz both scored braces in the second half. This run started with an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City at Wembley. They had arguably been the better team, but rued multiple missed chances, as Bernardo Silva scored a late winner to send his side through to the final.

This is a huge game for Forest in their bid for survival. We expect them to get a point against a Chelsea side who have been good at home but quite inconsistent away. There will be goals in this game with the hosts punishing the Blues defence – Nottingham Forest 2-2 Chelsea

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Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League.

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