Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest

Stamford Bridge forms the backdrop for a ‘David vs Goliath’ clash between last season’s Premier League bottom-half underachievers Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

Following an underwhelming two-game winless start to the new Premier League season (D1, L1), Chelsea’s bid to improve on last season’s dreadful 12th-place finish looks to be picking up a head of steam. Raheem Sterling’s brace and Nicolas Jackson’s first competitive goal in the blue shirt inspired new boss Mauricio Pochettino to his first Premier League win in charge of Chelsea as newcomers Luton Town slumped to a 3-0 defeat at the Bridge. Pochettino’s second-string line-up had to overcome a 1-0 deficit to beat lower-league AFC Wimbledon in midweek League Cup action, strengthening the team’s spirit ahead of this clash. Chelsea’s win in this fixture should be a safe bet, considering the ‘Blues’ had won six consecutive H2Hs in West London before a dramatic 2-2 draw in this corresponding encounter last term.

Adding to Chelsea’s confidence, Nottingham Forest’s well-documented travel sickness struck again last weekend as Steve Cooper’s side slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Manchester United despite becoming the first side in English football history to take a 2-0 lead within four minutes at Old Trafford. Before collapsing at the Theatre of Dreams, the ‘Tricky Trees’ had expectedly lost 2-1 at Arsenal on their first Premier League road trip this season, meaning they’ve only won once in 21 away league matches since returning to the top flight in 2022/23 (W1, D3, L15). If that’s not enough to clip their wings – since a 1-0 win at Southampton in January, they have gone 12 straight Premier League travels without a clean sheet, conceding multiple goals on 10 occasions!