Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea preview, prediction, team news, line ups and head-to-head

Chelsea are currently fifth, just one point ahead of Forest in seventh, and a win for the Blues will guarantee their spot in Europe’s top competition. 

Forest, on the other hand, must win and hope either Newcastle or Aston Villa drop points to have a chance of qualifying.

At different points this season, both sides looked certain for a top-four finish, but a dip in form saw them slip down the table. 

Now, after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester United and Forest’s 2-1 victory against West Ham, both teams have one last shot to make it count.

This marks the 100th competitive clash between Forest and Chelsea.

Forest have not tasted victory over the Blues at the City Ground since a 2-0 win back in January 1997. Their only triumph in the last 12 encounters across all competitions came at Stamford Bridge in September 2023, with the other 11 ending in eight defeats and three draws.

Nottingham Forest remain without Taiwo Awoniyi, who underwent major abdominal surgery and is not expected to return before the end of the season.

Centre-back Murillo, who picked up an ankle injury during the win at West Ham but played through to full-time, has been unable to train this week and remains a doubt.

Callum Hudson-Odoi made his return from a hamstring problem as a substitute in that game and will be eager to make an impact against his former club.

For Chelsea, Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu are both back in the squad after recovering from injury. 

However, Nicolas Jackson remains suspended, while Jadon Sancho returns to the fold after missing out against parent club Manchester United.

Nottingham Forest predicted XI: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Sangare, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Dominguez; Wood

Chelsea predicted XI: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; George

Forest will look to exploit Chelsea’s inconsistency, especially at home, while the Blues have the quality to edge tight games. Expect a closely fought contest, but Chelsea may just have enough to nick it late on.

Both teams to score

Over 3.5 cards

Over 8.5 corners