Chelsea vs. Nottingham Forest, Premier League: Preview, team news, how to watch
Today at 11:47 PM
Keeping momentum going
The top three in the Premier League, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal, with a combined one (1) loss between them in 21 total matches played, are already starting to separate themselves with just one-fifth of the season gone. But Chelsea have a great chance to keep early pace with yet another eminently winnable home game this weekend.
The fixture list will jump up a notch in terms of difficulty after the international break, but if we beat Nottingham Forest, we will enter said break just two points off the top and quietly excellent Liverpool — whom we'll play coming out of the break!
But first things first, we have to beat Forest, which is something we haven't managed in their last two visits to Stamford Bridge.
Date / Time: Sunday, October 6, 2024, 14.00 BST; 9am EDT; 6:30pm IST
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Chris Kavanagh (on pitch); Jarred Gillett (VAR)
Forecast: Mild but chance of rain
On TV: none (UK); none (USA); none (India); SuperSport Variety 2, Canal+ Sport 4 (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: none (UK); Peacock (USA); Disney+ Hotstar (India); DStv Now (NGA)
Chelsea team news: Reece James remains the only injury of note, though still without any sort of timetable for return. Carney Chukwuemeka was a late scratch midweek with illness, but should be available.
The B Squad took take care of business in that game with another emphatic win, making it five wins in a row in all competitions, with 17 scored and just 4 conceded. Enzo Maresca will likely rotate the full-XI once again, back to the A Squad — though Pedro Neto has been outperforming Noni Madueke at right wing so perhaps he deserves a shot with the first-choice selection. On a similar note, Robert Sánchez had a bit of a horror-show in goal last weekend, but was saved by Cole Palmer's excellence at the other end. One might imagine Bob won't get too many more chances before the steady Jörgensen gets moved up.
Nottingham Forest team news: Forest barely survived the drop last season but had an active summer transfer window, adding some depth and, most importantly, holding on to the likes of center back Murillo and our former winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who scored 8 league goals last season. Another ex-Chelsea man, Ola Aina, signed a one-year extension to stay with the club as well.
New arrivals James Ward-Prowse (on loan from West Ham) and Elliot Anderson (from Newcastle) have shored up the midfield while former BlueCo goalkeeper Matz Sels, a winter transfer window arrival, has now settled in between the sticks.
Only Liverpool have conceded fewer goals so far this season — one of which was to Hudson-Odoi in their shock defeat to Forest last month. But Forest are also one of the lowest-scoring sides in the league, and other than that big win at Anfield, have just one other league win so far this season. They carry the hallmarks of a typical Nuno Espirito Santo side: steady at the back, dangerous on the counter, unspectacular yet often effective.
Previously: We managed to lose this fixture, 1-0 last season and got only a 2-2 draw the year before. We did win at the City Ground during our strong finish to last season, coming back to collect all three points with two goals in the final ten minutes.
