MY ACCOUNT
– Nottingham Forest have lost their last seven away league games
– Nottingham Forest have scored in four of their last five away league defeats
– Recommended bet: Chelsea to win & both teams to score
Chelsea finally got off the mark under interim manager Frank Lampard as two late goals from Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix inspired the Blues to a 3-1 victory at Bournemouth last weekend.
Having lost their opening four league games in Lampard’s second spell as manager, Chelsea have snapped the sequence and will be hoping to follow up at the expense of a relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.
Forest picked up three precious points in their scrap for Premier League survival when winning a seven-goal thriller at home to Southampton on Monday.
However, Steve Cooper’s side remain only three points clear of the drop with as many games to go, and a poor road record leaves them with plenty to find on their trip to the capital.
Team news
Chelsea’s England internationals Reece James and Mason Mount have been ruled out for the rest of the season, and Lampard is concerned that Ben Chillwell may follow suit.
The Blues also remain without defenders Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly and striker Armando Broja.
Forest, meanwhile, remain without Dean Henderson, Chris Wood, Scott McKenna and Omar Richards, but Brennan Johnson and Danilo have returned to full fitness.
The stats
Nottingham Forest have given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding relegation, having won two of their last three league games against Brighton and Southampton.
However, both of those victories came at the City Ground, and Forest boasts the worst away form in the division, having picked up only six points from their 17 games on the road.
The Tricky Trees have lost 13 of their 17 away league games, suffering seven straight defeats on their travels and scoring only eight goals in that period.
That said, attacking performances have improved as they have scored in four of their last five away defeats and have seen both teams score in nine of their previous 11 league fixtures.
The reverse fixture in Nottingham saw the teams share the spoils in a 1-1 draw, and one win in eight league games hardly inspires confidence about Chelsea making the most of home advantage.
That said, Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Bournemouth last time out stopped a four-game losing run and must have restored some belief.
With only one clean sheet in nine, Chelsea have plenty to prove defensively, and several key injuries at the back leave them vulnerable once more.
But Nottingham Forest have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 Premier League games, so Chelsea should be hopeful they can record what would be just their seventh home league win of the campaign.
Prediction
With fixtures against Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle to close out the campaign, Lampard will know the importance of picking up maximum points in this fixture.
A top-half finish is still possible for Chelsea, and their recent win over Bournemouth may spark the necessary revival.
Despite their struggles this season, there is still plenty of quality in this Chelsea line-up, and they should capitalise on Forest’s travel woes and exploit a defence that has conceded 41 goals in 17 away games.
Chelsea can inflict an eighth straight away league defeat on Forest, but the hosts have conceded in eight of their last nine top-flight matches, so a clean sheet looks beyond them.
Cooper’s visitors have failed to score in only two of their last 11 games and are motivated for points in their battle to beat the drop, which means they can notch a consolation.
Back Chelsea to win & both teams to score at 21/10 with LiveScore Bet.
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