Chelsea set off the next fireworks at the City Ground?

It’s been just over a week since former HSV coach Tim Walter was brought up as the new coach at Nottingham Forest. The 48-year-old, who once spent three years in FC Bayern’s youth academy and was polarizing in every respect during his time in the second division at the Elbe, was invited to watch the Tricky Trees’ last home game directly from the directors’ box, which naturally fuelled the rumour mill. Since last weekend, however, the topic has cooled somewhat, as Forest won 3-1 at Sheffield United and Nuno Espirito Santo was able to strengthen his position for the time being.

Things could pick up again after Saturday’s game, however, as the still relegation-threatened Garibaldi Reds face one of the most in-form teams in the English Premier League, Chelsea Football Club. Led by the outstanding Cole Palmer, the Londoners have lost just one of their last twelve league games and have thus made an impressive comeback in the race for the international starting places. The Blues will be aiming for another three-pointer in the East Midlands this weekend. This would be rewarded with betting odds of just under 2.00 ahead of the Nottingham v Chelsea match.

Although coach Mauricio Pochettino’s side have put in some great performances of late, they have often fallen short of their own standards away from home. In the following paragraphs, you can find out why it could still make sense to bet on an away win in the matchday 37 Premier League game between Nottingham and Chelsea

Nottingham – Statistics & current form

Nottingham Forest Football Club are in for a very hot finish to the season. With two matchdays to go, the Reds are just three points clear of the first relegation spot, which is currently occupied by Luton Town. However, as the goal difference of coach Nuno Espirito Santo’s team (-18) is worlds better than that of their direct rivals (-29), a win in the remaining two matchdays should be enough to achieve the minimum target.

However, it seems rather unlikely that the prediction of a home win between Nottingham and Chelsea on Saturday evening will come true. Partly because the Tricky Trees have only managed to win two consecutive Premier League matches three times since their promotion in the summer of 2022. After the immensely important 3:1 away win at bottom-placed Sheffield United the previous week, a second win in a row would mean a preliminary decision in the battle to stay in the league

Nottingham must prevent unnecessary standards at all costs

In general, however, the “Garibaldi Reds” cannot be said to be in good form. Forest have only won two of their last eleven league games. In the same period, they have suffered six defeats, including against top teams Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa. Although the Blues from London have rarely performed at the level of a top team this season, the former Champions League winners naturally have enough individual quality and potential to make Espirito Santo’s team look bad again.

The relegation candidates will have to be particularly careful with set-pieces, as with just seven goals scored from set-pieces (including penalties) and 27 conceded, Nottingham are by far the weakest Premier League team when it comes to offensive and defensive set-pieces. It is precisely in this area that the upcoming opponents have really flourished recently, which is why an argument can be drawn from this topic to justify the odds on an away win between Nottingham and Chelsea.

The most likely potential goalscorer for the hosts is Chris Wood, who leads the internal scoring charts with twelve goals. However, the powerful attacker has not scored against any club in the English top flight more often than against Chelsea FC – eleven times! The former Bundesliga players Gio Reyna (BVB), Taiwo Awoniyi and Moussa Niakhaté (both Mainz) currently play no or only minor roles for the “Tricky Trees”.

Predicted Nottingham line-up:

Chelsea – Statistics & current form

Chelsea Football Club officials are currently asking themselves what could have been possible this season if the players, in conjunction with the coaching team, had managed to flip the proverbial switch earlier? The Londoners have been in good form for several weeks now. At last, potential and results are in better proportion to each other than they were for long stretches of the first two thirds of this season. The Blues have evidently managed to turn things around just in time, put an end to their many lapses in concentration and focus on their own strengths.

With seven points from three games against direct rivals Aston Villa (2:2), Tottenham (2:0) and West Ham (5:0), sixth place in the table is once again within reach. As seventh in the table, they are two points behind Newcastle United (6th), meaning that their desire to at least qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Europa League remains alive. However, this will probably require three (!) good results, as unlike their upcoming opponents, Chelsea still have three matches ahead of them, all against teams from the bottom half of the table.

Palmer mania at Chelsea shows no signs of abating

The symbol of the Blues’ upward trend, who have lost just one of their last twelve PL matches and were only narrowly defeated by Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, is undoubtedly Cole Palmer. In his last seven league games, the highly talented left-footer has scored a whopping ten goals. In total, the England international now has 30 goals to his name, scoring 21 times himself and setting up a further nine goals. Significantly, Palmer was absent from the only PL defeat since the beginning of February – the 6-0 loss to Arsenal – due to injury.

Especially in the recent past, Palmer has also scored the important 1-0 on several occasions. The summer signing from Manchester City, who celebrated his 22nd birthday last Monday, has scored the first goal of the game in three of his last four competitive matches. We take this impressive statistic as an opportunity to check the odds on Palmer scoring another 1-0 ahead of the Nottingham v Chelsea clash.

Predicted Chelsea line-up:

Nottingham – Chelsea head-to-head comparison / H2H result

This is the 70th time the clubs have faced each other in the English top flight this weekend. The direct comparison has been very even so far. Nottingham have celebrated 22 wins, Chelsea 24, while 23 of the encounters have ended in draws. The Blues have struggled against the Reds in the last three head-to-head meetings. In both the first and second legs in 2022/23, as well as in the first half of the current season, the Londoners were without a three-pointer.

Last season, the teams drew the points both times (1:1, 2:2). Nottingham even won 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in early September 2023, with Anthony Elanga scoring the golden goal. For the first time since the 1978/79 championship season, the “Tricky Trees” could now celebrate the “season double” against the capital club again.

Nottingham – Chelsea tip

The last Premier League match on Saturday will be between Nottingham and Chelsea at the City Ground Stadium from 18:30. The bookmakers’ first prediction is for the Blues, who are in much better shape and need every point in the race for the sixth place they are aiming for in the table. However, the same also applies to the home side, who only have a three-point cushion on the first relegation place and still have to worry about staying in the league.

Nevertheless, the qualitative advantages for the Londoners are obvious. After great performances against West Ham and Tottenham, Pochettino’s team are brimming with confidence and also have a real difference-maker in their ranks in Cole Palmer. Although the seventh-placed team in the table have recently found it much more difficult away from home than at home, we definitely believe the Blues are capable of a three-pointer against the relegation candidates

We therefore play the bet on the away win between Nottingham and Chelsea at five units. We found the top odds of 1.98 in the Oddset app. Alternatively, a bet on at least four goals during the match can also be considered. On the one hand, both teams will play for victory, on the other hand, there has been a lot of spectacle recently, especially in the matches involving CFC. The 2.20 on the Over 3.5 is therefore just as interesting as the value-laden 6.75 on Cole Palmer (once again) scoring the first goal of the match