Top pundit points to one stat which Chelsea fans won’t want to see ahead of season decider | OneFootball

What we’re looking for tomorrow is positivity. Chelsea are taking on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground in what is effectively a playoff for Champions League football. Win and we’re in, lose and… we’re not.

Pundit predicts Chelsea defeat in season defining game

Enzo Maresca takes pre-Nottingham Forest press conference..

Well, if you want positivity, look away now. Paul Merson, who is a Chelsea fan don’t forget, has predicted a win for our opposition that would potentially bump us all the way down to 7th in the final table.

“I don’t see Chelsea winning this game. They have lost all their away games against the top eight teams this season,” the former Arsenal defender pointed out.

“So far Chelsea to go to Nottingham Forest and get a win on the last day of the season is a big challenge in my opinion. Away from home, they haven’t been good enough.”

His final prediction for the game was Nottingham Forest 1-0 Chelsea.

It’s just difficult to argue with those numbers. We’ve won just 1 of our last 11 league games away from Stamford Bridge, and as Merson points out, have lost every time we’ve played a good team.

It feels like the need to win should be enough to motivate these players to a win – but the problem is that Forest are in the same position. And they’re in front of a home crowd.

Other pundits also can’t back Chelsea win

Other people predicting the game see it the same way. As we reported here, The Athletic said “a Chelsea win doesn’t feel likely,” and pointed out how difficult it will be to get past Forest’s physical back line without Nicolas Jackson in the team.

Chris Sutton on BBC Sport backed a draw, which would only be good enough to get us into the Europa League.