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Nottingham Forest – Chelsea FC
The Premier League will continue to play football over the New Year’s Eve weekend. The English clubs have an enormously tight game schedule after the World Cup, which means great strain. Top teams like Chelsea FC can compensate for this with their wide squad, but smaller clubs like Nottingham Forest could have problems. Both teams will meet directly at the City Ground in Nottingham on Saturday at 17:30.
Our prediction for this match can be found in the following Nottingham vs Chelsea tip. The hosts have been able to pass the red lantern to Southampton thanks to a good period before the World Cup, but are still stuck in second last place in the relegation zone. 13 points from 16 games means a one-point gap to the saving shore. On the other hand, Chelsea can hardly be satisfied with the season so far either, as the Blues are clearly lagging behind expectations in eighth place. With just 24 points from 15 games, the Champions League is currently six points away.
Nottingham – Chelsea info
– Date & Time: 01/01/2023, 17:30.
– Venue: City Ground, Nottingham
– Competition: Premier League, Matchday 18
– TV coverage: Sky
Nottingham Form & Balance Check
The promoted Nottingham side continue to fight fiercely to stay in the league. After 16 games, the Tricky Trees have only 13 points on their account and are thus stuck in the basement, but the saving bank is still absolutely within reach. Nevertheless, the club had certainly expected more from the season after spending over 160 million euros on a whopping 23 new arrivals in the summer. Success, however, can still only be bought in a few cases, with surprise third-placed Newcastle a rare counter-example.
Results give hope
After all, Nottingham were able to score a few successes before the World Cup break. Starting with the surprise 1-0 win over Liverpool, Forest collected a tidy seven points in their last four league games before the break, more than in any previous fixture this season. The 2-0 win over Tottenham in the cup also contributed to their upward form. Nottingham then continued this after the World Cup with a commanding 4-1 win in the EFL Cup at third division side Birmingham, but this was followed by a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United in the league.
Nottingham facts & analysis
– 19th in the Premier League, 13 points from 16 games.
– Last lost 0:3 at Man United
– Previously only one defeat from 7 competitive games
Chelsea form & balance check
The season is hardly going to plan for Chelsea so far. As a result of the poor start, the Blues sacked successful coach Thomas Tuchel and hired Brighton’s up-and-coming coach Graham Potter. Potter’s initial euphoria carried the Londoners to a strong form, but this has since faded. Chelsea went five league games in a row without a win before the World Cup break and were also eliminated from the cup. As a result, the capital city side are currently only eighth in the Premier League and will have to find their feet soon if they still want to reach the Champions League.
Havertz leads Chelsea to victory
After all, Chelsea came back from the break with a sense of achievement after their poor run before the World Cup. In the home match against AFC Bournemouth, the Blues celebrated their first league win since mid-October and were clearly the better team. In addition, Kai Havertz, a German international, was in the centre of attention. After scoring the opening goal to make it 1-0, the attacker also assisted Mason Mount’s second goal a little later. The game remained scoreless, with the final score 2-0.
Chelsea facts & analysis
– 8th place in the Premier League, 24 points from 15 games.
– Last win 2:0 against Bournemouth
– 1st treble in the league after five winless games
Projected line-up – last update on 31 December 2022
Nottingham coach Steve Cooper is delighted with the return of regular keeper Henderson, who was not allowed to play against his parent club Manchester United. Apart from that we trust in the first eleven of the last game. Toffolo, Dennis and Williams are first alternatives, while Biancone, Niakhate, Kouyate and Richards are definitely out.
Graham Potter, on the other hand, will have to do without Kante, Fofana, James, Chilwell, Loftus-Cheek and Broja, while the injured Mendy and the internationals Ziyech and Kovacic are still questionable. Again, we are relying mostly on the successful starting eleven from the Bournemouth game, with only Azpilicueta coming in for the injured James. Gallagher, Aubameyang and Chalobah are other options.
Nottingham – Chelsea Direct comparison & Statistics
Nottingham Forest and Chelsea FC have played 71 games against each other so far, 66 of them in the Premier League. The Blues have, as expected, come out on top with 29 wins. Nottingham have won 21 matches so far, while 21 others have ended in draws. All five duels in the current millennium have come from the English cup competitions and went to Chelsea in each case.
– Nottingham Forest have not lost any of their last 5 home matches.
– Chelsea FC last lost 3 away matches in a row.
– The average goals scored in a Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea FC clash is 3.4.
– The average number of goals scored in the first half in matches between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea FC is 2.2.
– A look at Nottingham Forest: Taiwo Awoniyi is the top scorer with 3 goals. Kai Havertz scored 4 times for Chelsea FC.
