MY ACCOUNT
– Chelsea have picked up just three clean sheets on the road
– Nottingham Forest have scored in all but one home fixture
– Recommended bet: Chelsea to win and both teams to score
Chelsea are looking to build momentum in the Premier League when they head to struggling Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day.
Forest were building momentum themselves prior to the break for the World Cup, picking up four points from games against Brentford and Crystal Palace, but they returned to Premier League action with a 3-0 loss at Manchester United on December 27.
Chelsea were on a five-game winless run in the Premier League prior to the interruption to the top flight, which including a three-game losing streak, however, they came back with a bang as they eased to a 2-0 triumph over Bournemouth.
Team news
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper could be without summer arrival Jesse Lingard after he limped off early in the second half during the defeat to his former club United.
Goalkeeper Dean Henderson was ineligible to feature against his parent club last time out but he should return to the starting XI.
Cooper has revealed they are monitoring the fitness of Morgan Gibbs-White but he looks unlikely to be involved, while Giulian Biancone, Cheikhou Kouyate, Moussa Niakhate and Omar Richards are all unavailable.
Chelsea defender Reece James is set for a four-week spell on the sidelines, having only just returned from a two-month absence, after suffering a knee injury against Bournemouth.
He joins N’Golo Kante, Wesley Fofana and Armando Broja in the treatment room, while Ben Chilwell and Ruben Loftus-Cheek will need to come through fitness tests.
World Cup stars Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech are set to boost Graham Potter’s options after being handed time to recover from their exploits in Qatar.
The stats
This will be the first meeting between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at the City Ground since 1999, when a brace from Bjarne Goldbaek and a strike from Mikael Forssell secured the points for Chelsea, with Pierre van Hooijdonk’s effort reduced to a consolation.
Chelsea have won their last seven engagements with Forest across all competitions, with their most recent clash coming in 2020 when the west Londoners ran out 2-0 victors in the FA Cup.
Forest have picked up just three Premier League wins this season with each of those coming at home and ending 1-0.
Cooper’s side have netted 11 goals this campaign with 10 of those coming on home soil.
Chelsea are looking to avoid losing four consecutive away games across all competitions for the first time since 2019 when Maurizio Sarri was in charge.
Raheem Sterling could be one to watch for the visitors after scoring eight goals and laying on two assists in his last 11 games against newly promoted sides in the Premier League.
Prediction
Chelsea lacked consistency under Potter prior to the World Cup and he is clearly eager to address that problem as they look to mount a challenge for a top-four spot.
Beating clubs embroiled in a relegation battle, such as Forest, is a must if they are to achieve that ambition and they can start to build some momentum.
Backing a Chelsea win with both teams to score, which is available at 12/5 via LiveScore Bet, looks an attractive prospect here.
Forest certainly look a better outfit on their own patch with the overwhelming majority of their goals coming at the City Ground.
It is also worth noting that Chelsea have conceded 11 goals on the road, matching the figure they shipped in 2021-22, while they have only kept three clean sheets.
