Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea: Premier League Preview

Forest, sitting on 65 points, returned to winning ways last weekend after a four-match winless run, edging West Ham 2-1 thanks to goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic. It was a vital three points that kept their top-five hopes alive, but their destiny is not in their own hands. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side must beat Chelsea and hope for dropped points from either Newcastle or Aston Villa, who both sit one point ahead in the table. At the very least, the Garibaldi are guaranteed a spot in the Conference League, but they still dream of a return to Europe’s top table for the first time since the early 1980s.

While Forest need favours elsewhere, Chelsea can book their place in next season’s Champions League simply by winning. The Blues edged Manchester United 1-0 in their most recent outing thanks to Marc Cucurella’s second-half header, continuing a strong late-season surge under Enzo Maresca. Chelsea have now won six of their last seven Premier League matches and enter the final day in fifth place, knowing that three points will confirm a return to the continent’s premier competition.

However, their away form raises questions. Chelsea have managed just one win from their last 10 league games on the road, scoring only five goals across that span and failing to net in six of those fixtures. Despite that, they hold fond memories of their last visit to the City Ground, edging Forest 3-2 in an entertaining clash last season. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier this term, meaning Chelsea are unbeaten in their last three against Forest but have not won consecutive away games against them in over a century.

Forest’s team news remains under wraps, with Santo revealing little other than a few injury concerns. Central defender Murillo remains doubtful after missing training all week due to an ankle injury sustained against West Ham, and if he fails to recover in time, Morato is expected to partner Milenkovic at the back. Taiwo Awoniyi continues his recovery from emergency abdominal surgery and is unavailable, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is pushing to start against his former club.

Chelsea, meanwhile, remain without suspended striker Nicolas Jackson and long-term absentees Wesley Fofana and Omari Kellyman. Mykhaylo Mudryk is still serving a provisional suspension for a doping violation. On the plus side, Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu are back in contention, offering Maresca additional options up front. Jadon Sancho is also available again after missing the United clash due to loan restrictions.

With Champions League qualification on the line for both sides and little margin for error, Sunday’s clash promises to be a dramatic finale to the season for two clubs whose campaigns have been defined by sharp late-season turns in form.

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