Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

The Football Faithful

·25 maggio 2025

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

Nottingham Forest battle it out with Chelsea this afternoon with a place in the Champions League at stake.

Both teams can still qualify for Europe’s most prestigious competition. Forest need to collect all three points and hope Aston Villa fail to beat Manchester United, while a win for Chelsea would almost certainly guarantee their place inside the top five.

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Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been fairly fortunate this season regarding the availability of his players. The luxury of being able to consistently field a similar team has contributed to their success.

Matchday 38/38. COME ON YOU REDS! ❤️
– domenica 25 maggio 2025

The Portuguese tactician is expected to be without just one senior player this afternoon. Taiwo Awoniyi continues to recover from a horrific intestinal injury. The Nigerian striker was placed into an induced coma following surgery.

It is a crucial week for Chelsea, as their visit to Nottinghamshire precedes their Europa Conference League final on Wednesday.

Enzo Maresca’s attacking options have been bolstered by the returns of Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu. A knock has restricted Nkunku’s availability over the last month while promising prospect Guiu has recovered from a hamstring injury. However, Nicolas Jackson remains suspended after his red card against Newcastle a fortnight ago.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea – Match preview and team news

Form

Nottingham Forest: LLDDW

Forest steadied the ship with a vital 2-1 away win over West Ham last Sunday.

Goals from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nikola Milenkovic were enough to ensure Jarrod Bowen’s late strike was merely a consolation. However, it’s unlikely that those three points are enough to salvage a place in the Champions League next season.

For the majority of the campaign, the Tricky Trees looked destined to return to Europe’s elite competition under the guidance of Nuno Espirito Santo. However, picking up only two victories in their last seven league outings has jeopardised the prospect of fulfilling that dream. Forest lost to both Everton and Brentford at the City Ground while also failing to beat local rivals, and already relegated, Leicester City.

Just to compound their disappointment, they were also knocked out at the FA Cup semi-final stage by Manchester City last month.

Overall, it has still been a memorable season for Nottingham Forest as they are guaranteed a place in a European competition next term.

Chelsea: WWWLW

Marc Cucurella’s second-half header defeated Manchester United at Stamford Bridge nine days ago.

It was a crucial victory for the Blues in their pursuit of Champions League qualification. The previous week, they fell to a 2-0 defeat at fellow contenders Newcastle United.

That loss at St. James’ Park is the only blemish in what has otherwise been an efficient end to the campaign. Enzo Maresca and his players have triumphed in six of their last seven matches, including statement wins over Liverpool and Fulham.

During that period, Chelsea have also progressed into the final of the Europa Conference League. They overcame Swedish outfit Djurgarden in the semi-final with ease and will now meet Real Betis in Poland on Wednesday.

Last Meeting: Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest, Premier League, 6th October 2024

It was honours even in the last encounter as Chelsea and Nottingham Forest played out a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge.

A mixture of desperate defending and good fortune prevented the hosts from opening the scoring in the first half. Ola Aina’s timely intervention stopped Cole Palmer from firing in from close range. However, the ball continued to trickle towards the goal line and went through Matz Sels’ legs before hitting the post and rolling into the goalkeeper’s grasp.

Just four minutes after the restart, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side took the lead in the capital. Nikola Milenkovic flicked on Murillo’s deep free-kick into the path of Chris Wood. On the stretch, the New Zealand international accurately poked the ball into the bottom corner.

The Blues were trailing for only eight minutes as Noni Madueke levelled proceedings. Alex Moreno failed to effectively close down the winger, which allowed Madueke to drill a shot goalward. Despite connecting with a strong palm, Sels could only push the effort into the net.

With a little over ten minutes remaining of the contest, Forest were reduced to 10 men. After taking a heavy touch, West Ham loanee James Ward-Prowse handled the ball to deny Nicolas Jackson from breaking clear. Referee Chris Kavanagh brandished a second booking towards the midfielder, who had no complaints as he trudged off the pitch.

With a man extra, Chelsea pressed for a winner. Sels produced a double save to deny Palmer from breaching his net following some inventive footwork.

The closing stages were frenetic as both teams spurned glorious chances to claim the three points. Sanchez spared Chelsea’s blushes with strong saves to thwart Neco Williams and Jota Silva while Christopher Nkunku sent a powerful header straight at Sels inside the six-yard box.

Predicted Lineups

Nottingham Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Sangare, Dominguez, Anderson, Gibbs-White; Elanga; Wood.

Chelsea: Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Nkunku.

Who is the referee?

Anthony Taylor will be the match official. Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn will assist him while Jarred Gillett will be the fourth official. Peter Bankes will be on VAR duty and Constantine Hatzidakis will assist him.