It’s a winner-takes-all game at the City Ground as Nottingham Forest host Chelsea in the race for the top-five places in the Premier League.
The Blues are currently in fifth so know that a win will be enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League. A draw will see them looking over their shoulders at how sixth-placed Aston Villa perform against Manchester United.
Should the Blues be defeated, it becomes complicated. Forest would push them down to sixth, but if Newcastle are comprehensively beaten by Everton, they could drop below Chelsea on goal difference. The Villa result would still have a bearing too.
Nottingham Forest are in seventh but only one point behind Chelsea. They know that a win will see them leapfrog the West London club. This could be enough to secure a top five place depending on the Villa and Newcastle results.
One complicating factor is Chelsea may have one eye on their Europa Conference League final against Real Betis next Wednesday. Meanwhile, this is the last game of the season for all the other teams involved.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS CHELSEA PREVIEW
Both sides go into this fixture off the back of Premier League wins. Forest defeated West Ham 2-1 to break a three-match winless run. Chelsea, meanwhile, defeated Manchester United 1-0 in their final home game of the season.
Considering how close the two sides are in the table, it will come as no surprise to hear that it was honours even at Stamford Bridge back in October. Chris Wood opened the scoring for the visitors, but Noni Madueke equalised eight minutes later. The game ended 1-1.
Last season’s corresponding fixture was a 3-2 win for Chelsea. The Blues took an early lead through Mykhailo Mudryk but Willy Boly and Callum Hudson-Odoi turned the tie on its head. Two goals inside three minutes from Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson saw the pendulum swing back to Chelsea. The game ended 3-2 in their favour.
Taiwo Awoniyi is out for Nottingham Forest due to abdominal surgery. Murillo (thigh) and Eric da Silva Moreira (ankle) are major doubts.
Nicolas Jackson is suspended for Chelsea, while Marc Guiu and Christopher Nkunku aren’t quite fully fit. They have overcome their injury issues, but this game will probably come too soon for them.
Aaron Anselmino (thigh), Wesley Fofana (thigh) and Omari Kellyman (hamstring) are all still out.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS CHELSEA – PREDICTIONS
Nottingham Forest Win
To qualify for the Champions League would be a remarkable turnaround for a side that was battling relegation last season. They will have all the motivation they need, as well as the passionate home crowd roaring them on.
Draw
The two teams are very evenly matched and the reverse fixture ended up a stalemate. A draw would benefit Chelsea more than Forest though.
Chelsea Win
The Blues’ record away from home against the other sides vying for a top-five place is not good. However, they have won four of their last five games and did see off Liverpool (at home) in this run.
PREMIER LEAGUE – TOP SCORER
| # | Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Erling Haaland |
Manchester City FC | 22 | 6 | 26 |
| 2 |
Thiago Rodrigues |
Brentford FC | 17 | 1 | 26 |
| 3 |
Antoine Semenyo |
Manchester City FC | 13 | 4 | 25 |
| 4 |
Hugo Ekitike |
Liverpool FC | 10 | 2 | 23 |
| 5 |
João Pedro |
Chelsea FC | 10 | 4 | 26 |
NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS CHELSEA – BETTING TIPS
Nottingham Forest Win
The home side know that only a win will do and this certainty could play to their advantage. They will have the home crowd on their side, while Chelsea may have one eye on their Europa Conference League Final next week. Chelsea’s last away game was against another side in top-five contention, Newcastle United, and they lost 2-0. Chelsea’s away record against the other sides vying for a top five place isn’t good either. They lost 3-1 at Manchester City, 2-1 at Aston Villa and 1-0 at Arsenal. The Blues also have no recognised senior striker due to injuries.
Under 2.5 Goals
Chelsea have the third-tightest defence in the league, having conceded just 43 goals this season. Only Liverpool (40) and Arsenal (33) have been stingier. The Blues may struggle to score without the suspended Nicolas Jackson while Forest’s defence at home has been strong. Five of Forest’s last six home games have had Under 2.5 goals, the only exception being their 2-2 draw against Leicester last time out.
HEAD-TO-HEAD AND KEY STATS
- Nottingham Forest and Chelsea have played each other 99 times, with Forest winning 27. The Blues have won 41 times, while there have been 31 draws.
- Chelsea have only won one of their last five Premier League meetings against Forest, a 2-3 win in last season’s fixture at the City Ground.
- However, Forest have only won one of their last seven Premier League games against Chelsea.
- Three of the last five Premier League games between the two sides have ended in draws.
- Nottingham Forest have won 19 games this season, which is more than in the last two seasons combined. They last won more than 20 games in a single campaign in the 1994-95 season.
- Regardless of the result, Nottingham Forest will be guaranteed their highest league finish since 1994-95.
- Nottingham Forest have not kept a clean sheet in their last seven Premier League games.
- Chelsea have only lost once in their last five Premier League games, to fellow top-five hopefuls Newcastle United.
- Chelsea are second only to Liverpool (216 vs 228) regarding shots on target in the Premier League this season.
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-10-2025 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
0 - 3 |
Chelsea FC |
| 25-05-2025 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
0 - 1 |
Chelsea FC |
| 06-10-2024 |
Chelsea FC |
1 - 1 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
| 11-05-2024 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
2 - 3 |
Chelsea FC |
| 02-09-2023 |
Chelsea FC |
0 - 1 |
Nottingham Forest FC |
