The Matchday 38 Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea will take place on May 25 at the City Ground. Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest held the third spot in the league table for a long time, but they have only secured two victories in their last seven Premier League matches (2 draws and 3 losses), dropping them to seventh place. The draw against Leicester in the 36th round (2-2) was particularly painful. Although Nuno Espírito Santo's side bounced back in their last league match with a 2-1 away win over West Ham, they are currently in the worst position among all contenders for a Champions League spot. To break into the top five, the team must win in the final round and hope for Newcastle or Aston Villa to drop points.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 7 of Nottingham Forest's last 8 Premier League matches.
- Nottingham Forest have not lost in 10 of their last 12 home Premier League games (7 wins and 3 draws).
- The club has failed to win the second half in six consecutive league matches (3 draws and 3 losses).
Predicted lineup for Nottingham Forest (4-4-2)
Matz Sels – Ola Aina, Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Neco Williams – Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Nicolas Dominguez, Ibrahim Sangare – Anthony Elanga, Chris Wood.
Chelsea
The Londoners have suffered only one defeat in their last eight Premier League matches, losing 0-1 away to Newcastle (5 wins and 2 draws). Despite these results, the club might still miss out on the Champions League. Currently, Enzo Maresca's side is in fifth place, ahead of Aston Villa due to a significantly better goal difference. Even a draw could see them drop out of the top five, so they will be playing for victory in the upcoming match, just like their opponent.
- No more than three goals have been scored in 8 of Chelsea's last 10 league matches.
- At least one team has failed to score in 8 of Chelsea's last 11 Premier League matches.
- The Londoners have not scored in the second half in 9 of their last 10 away Premier League games.
Predicted lineup for Chelsea (4-2-3-1)
Robert Sanchez – Reece James, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Cucurella – Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez – Cole Palmer, Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke – Tyrick George.
Forwards Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson will not play again this season due to suspensions.
Referee
Anthony Taylor (England)
Matches – 30 (Premier League, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 88;
Average yellow cards per match – 2.9;
Red cards shown – 6;
Average fouls per match – 21;
Penalties – 23%.
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea: Match Prediction
This is the central and only match in the final round's program, where both teams have high tournament motivation. To secure a Champions League spot, both clubs will play for victory, promising an exciting and entertaining match with plenty of battles and likely fouls. Given the immense pressure on both teams' players, I predict a low-scoring game, as the cost of each mistake will be very high, and the clubs will be extremely cautious in defense.
Both teams have decent defenses: Nottingham Forest has conceded 45 goals, while Chelsea has conceded 43. Notably, at home, Nottingham Forest, along with Liverpool, has conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League this season (15 goals each). Additionally, no more than two goals have been scored in 5 of Nottingham Forest's last 6 home Premier League games. Meanwhile, no more than three goals have been scored in Chelsea's last six away league matches. Furthermore, the Londoners have not been prolific in attack – in their last 10 away Premier League matches, they have scored more than one goal only once.
Based on these factors, I favor a prediction of Total under 3 goals.
