Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest

Stamford Bridge is the venue as in-form Chelsea and mid-table Nottingham Forest go head-to-head in an exciting Premier League clash.

Fresh legs are not an issue for Chelsea after overachieving new boss Enzo Maresca changed his entire starting XI from a 4-2 win against Brighton last weekend in a 4-1 demolition of Gent in midweek Europa Conference League action. After years of suffering, the Blues are back with a bang, entering this round amidst a five-game winning streak in all competitions as they bid to haul back a two-point deficit on Premier League leaders Liverpool. Since a 2-0 home loss to Manchester City on day one, the Pensioners have gone into overdrive, registering four wins in five league matches (D1). Virtually unplayable in the final third, Maresca’s men have bagged at least four goals in three consecutive games ahead of this fixture, while they boast a league-high 15 goals scored after six EPL rounds.

Scoring hasn’t been Nottingham Forest’s strong suit this term, considering they’ve netted only six league goals thus far. However, the division’s joint-best defense has conceded just five times to help Nuno Espirito Santo’s side climb to 9th in the standings amid a promising-looking six-game start (W2, D3, L1). Impressively, Nottingham’s two top-flight wins this season have come on the road (W2, D1), including a stunning 1-0 triumph at Liverpool in mid-September. That same scoreline saw them beat Chelsea in this corresponding fixture last term, maintaining their unbeaten H2H top-flight record at Stamford Bridge this century (W1, D1). However, you’d need to look back at 1908 for the last time Nottingham pulled off back-to-back victories on this ground!