Chelsea host Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge in Premier League matchday four clash on Saturday, 2 September 2023.
Mauricio Pochettino survived James Tilley’s penalty scare after Chelsea fought back to grab a 2-1 EFL Cup win over AFC Wimbledon at Stamford Bridge.
Noni Madueke’s equaliser through a spotkick late in the first half and Enzo Fernandez’s second half strike wrapped up the win.
The Blues will hope to continue on winning ways as they host a tough Nottingham Forest side in West London.
The win over AFC Wimbledon has handed Mauricio Pochettino two straight wins in a row after a winless start to the campaign. However, Nottingham Forest will still be a hard nut to crack.
The Steve Cooper-led boys nearly staged a coup at Old Trafford, defying the odds to silence Old Trafford with two quickfire goals early in the first half before Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, and Bruno Fernandes led the comeback for the Red Devils.
The Tricky Trees failed to replicate their Old Trafford bravery against newly-promoted side Burnley in the EFL Cup as they succumbed to a defeat to wrap up a poor start to the campaign with three defeats in four games.
However, they could still head into the game against Chelsea with confidence having scored against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United, settling for narrow defeats against the two Premier League giants in their first three start to the campaign.
Chelsea have the bragging rights against the Tricky Trees. In their last 12 meetings, Nottingham Forest have been able to scrap out only one win, drawing four while Chelsea have won seven times.
Last season, the two sides settled for a draw in the two-legged Premier League fixtures, scoring 6 goals in all.
Team News
Chelsea will head into the game with their piling injury list which has been offset by a mass influx of new signings. Headlining Chelsea’s Injury list is Armando Broja, who was sidelined since last season for a knee issue.
Also on the list are Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana, Marcus Bettinelli, and Trevoh Chalobah. Reece James, Christopher Nkunku, and Carney Chukwuemeka are also sidelined after recently picking up injuries as well.
Mauricio Pochettino will be expected to go with his regular lineup featuring Thiago Silva and Ben Chillwell at the back while Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo will start in the midfield with Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson leading the attack.
Nottingham Forest will be without Felipe and Wayne Hennessy, who are nursing a knee issues. Also ruled out of the clash for the Tricky Trees are Oriel Mangala and Scott McKenna.
Nigerian striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, who has scored in 7 consecutive Premier League matches, including in his first three starts this season, is expected to lead the attack for the away side with regular names such as Serge Aurier, Niakhate, Johnson and Gibbs-White all available for the clash.
Probable lineup
Chelsea: Sanchez; Disasi, Colwill, Silva; Gusto, Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher, Chilwell; Sterling, Jackson
Nottingham Forest: Turner; Boly, Niakhate, Worrall; Aurier, Danilo, Yates, Aina; Johnson, Gibbs-White; Awoniyi
Prediction
Nottingham Forest have not failed to score in their last seven Premier League matches and will score against a Chelsea side that has conceded 6 goals so far this campaign. However, the Blues are more likely to eke out a win in front of their home fans. Chelsea will outscore the visitors to win the match 3-1 after the final whistle.
