Chelsea have won nine of their last 13 meetings with Nottingham Forest, losing only one. The last time the Garibaldi Reds beat the Blues at the City Ground was in January 1997 when player-caretaker manager Stuart Pearce and the late Chris Bart-Williams were on target against Ruud Gullit's team.
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea preview
If any manager in the 153 year history of association football has ever needed a win, it is Ange Postecoglou. During the September international break, Nuno Espírito Santo was controversially sacked, following a falling out with owner Evangelos Marinakis, with the Australian swiftly appointed.
Well, to say this hasn't gone as planned would be an understatement. So far, Postecoglou is yet to win any of his seven matches in charge, losing five, leading to speculation that he will be replaced by Sean Dyche in the not too distant future. The Europa League defeat to Midtjylland, in which the home fans chanted "you're getting sacked in the morning" to their own manager the real turning point.
In Premier League terms, Forest are winless since the opening weekend, losing four of their last five, failing to score in any of these defeats, most-recently beaten 2-0 by Newcastle. After this, the Garibaldi Reds welcome Porto to the City Ground on Thursday before traveling to Bournemouth and then hosting Manchester United, not ideal fixtures for a manager seemingly on the brink.
Thus, Chelsea will make the 122 mile journey north on Saturday lunchtime certainly fancying their chances of victory. A fortnight ago, they enjoyed one of the most memorable victories over Enzo Maresca's tenure, beating champions Liverpool 2-1 at Stamford Bridge. Moisés Caicedo broke the deadlock with an absolute rocket before, in the 96th minute, Marc Cucurella's low cross was turned home at the back post by Estêvão Willian, sparking wild scenes of celebration.
Before this, the Blues had been winless in three Premier League matches, suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Brighton, only managing to beat Lincoln City during a miserable five-match period. Now though, Chelsea are up to seventh, and victory on the banks of the River Trent would propel them into the top four, ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixture. Well, given Nottingham Forest's self-inflicted predicament, an away win does appear likely at the City Ground.
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea head-to-head record
- Matches Played: 100.
- Nottingham Forest Wins: 27. Draws: 31. Chelsea Wins: 42.
Nottingham Forest team news
Ange Postecoglou is without full-backs Ola Aina and Oleksandr Zinchenko due to injury, so Nicolò Savona and Neco Williams will once again be deployed there.
Forest went ultra-defensive at St James' Park, a tactic that worked until Newcastle scored, with Jair Cunha coming into a back five, so it'll be interesting to see if this experiment in abandoned.
If an extra attacker is brought back in, Callum Hudson-Odoi is likely to start against his former side, while Omari Hutchinson is hoping to do the same. The aforementioned Williams will sit out next Sunday's trip to Bournemouth if cautioned.
Nottingham Forest predicted lineup vs Chelsea: (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenković, Morato, Williams; Yates, Anderson, Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
Nottingham Forest player to watch vs Chelsea
Chris Wood featured in both of New Zealand's matches last week, albeit they were away games against Poland and Norway, so a lot less travelling than usual. He has only ever scored once in 14 meetings with Chelsea, this coming at Stamford Bridge a year ago, so can he repeat that trick?
Chelsea team news
Enzo Maresca confirmed during his press conference on Friday that Cole Palmer will be sidelined for at least another six weeks due to a groin injury, thereby facing a race against time to be fit for the clash with Arsenal at the end of November.
Meantime, centre-back continues to be Maresca's most-pressing issue. With Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo all missing, Benoît Badiashile partnered Josh Acheampong against Liverpool, before both were replaced due to injuries of their own. There is hope that Adarabioyo will return, so he could be deployed alongside Jorrel Hato.
In attack, following his winner against Liverpool, Estêvão scored twice for Brazil against Korea Republic in Seoul last Friday, so will be hoping to come into the starting lineup.
Chelsea predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest: (4-3-3): Sánchez; James, Adarabioyo, Hato, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández, Neto, Estêvão, Garnacho; João Pedro.
Chelsea player to watch vs Nottingham Forest
In the absence of Liam Delap, João Pedro will once again lead the line, aiming to add to his two league goals this season, having netted twice for Brighton at the City Ground two seasons ago.
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea prediction
As already documented, we cannot see any other outcome than a Chelsea victory at the City Ground on Saturday, one which could be curtains for Ange Postecoglou: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Chelsea.
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea FAQs - Premier League
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea in the Premier League on TV channel?
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea in the Premier League will be available on the following TV channels;
- UK: TNT Sports 1 & Ultimate.
- USA: fuboTV, NBC, Telemundo & Deportes En Vivo
- Canada: Fubo Sports Network Canada
How to watch Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea in the Premier League on live streaming?
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea in the Premier League will be available on the following streaming services;
- UK: Discovery+
- USA: fuboTV, nbcsports.com, USA Network & Telemundo
- Canada: fuboTV Canada
What is the date and kick-off time for Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea in the Premier League?
Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea takes place on Saturday 18 October 2025, with kick off at 12:30 (BST), 7:30 (EDT) & 4:30 (PDT).