Chelsea will aim to continue the recent winning run when they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.

The international break is behind us, and the 2025/26 Premier League season resumes this weekend with Gameweek 8. The latest round of fixtures kicks off with Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea at the City Ground, with both teams eager to clinch three points.

Nottingham Forest began the 2025/26 season with a bang, cruising to a 3-1 win over Brentford on the opening weekend. That suggested that their excellent run under Nuno Espirito Santo would continue this term, with the Portuguese tactician bringing the best out of his players.  However, the Tricky Trees have managed only one win since then, and Nuno Espirito Santo has lost his job after differences with Evangelos Marinakis and Edu.

Ange Postecoglou has taken over at the City Ground, but the results and performances have been dreadful, with the Australian tactician yet to win a game as the Nottingham Forest manager. That has created widespread speculation surrounding him while linking the Midlands outfit with several managers, including Marco Silva.

Like the hosts, Chelsea began the 2025/26 season in solid form, showing continued progress under Enzo Maresca. However, the Blues were dreadful after the previous international break before recovering form in their two most recent outings. While concerns about their form remain, Maresca’s men have clinched two morale-boosting wins over SL Benfica and Liverpool, with the latest victory taking them to seventh in the Premier League standings.

The corresponding fixture last season saw Chelsea clinch a narrow 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, with Levi Colwill scoring the match-winning goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Nottingham Forest

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Dominguez, Anderson; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Jesus

Chelsea

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sanchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Lavia, Caicedo; Estevao, Buonanotte, Neto; Pedro

Key Stats

• Nottingham Forest have won only one of their last eight Premier League games vs Chelsea (D3 L4), a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in September 2023. The Blues have won three of their last four Premier League away games against Nottingham Forest (D1), including their two most recent meetings. They have never before won three successive away league games against the Tricky Trees.
• Nottingham Forest have lost four of their last five Premier League games (D1), failing to score in each defeat. The Tricky Trees could fail to score in three consecutive matches in the top flight for the first time since April 1999.
• Chelsea have won only three of their last 14 away games in the Premier League (D4 L7). In 2025, just 27 per cent of their points have come on the road (12/45), the lowest ratio of any ever-present side in the top flight.
• Nottingham Forest have lost five of their last seven Premier League home games (W1 D1), as many as their previous 22 at the City Ground beforehand (W11 D6). The Tricky Trees could lose three successive home league games for the first time since December 2023 (a run of 4).
• No team’s Premier League games this season have seen more goals than Chelsea’s (22 – 13 for, 9 against), with 13 of those coming in their away games (8 for, 5 against); only Burnley’s matches on the road have seen more (17).

Player to Watch

Elliot Anderson

While Joao Pedro, Estevao Willian, and Callum Hudson-Odoi were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Elliot Anderson as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea at the City Ground.

No player has won possession more times in the Premier League this season than the English international (55). With Nottingham Forest’s defensive struggles showing no signs of slowing down, Anderson must play out of his skin to get valuable points for his team. That may also alert prospective suitors for a move next year, with Chelsea among the clubs keen on signing the 22-year-old midfielder.

Prediction

Nottingham Forest 1-3 Chelsea

The pressure is growing on Ange Postecoglou, who remains in search of his first win as the Nottingham Forest manager. However, the Australian tactician has endured a dreadful record in the Premier League against Chelsea.

Postecoglou lost all four Premier League meetings with Chelsea as Tottenham Hotspur manager. The only managers to lose their first five games against the West London club in the competition are Rafael Benítez, Mick McCarthy, Tony Pulis, and Owen Coyle. With the home side struggling to produce competitive performances, Postecoglou will likely join that unenviable club this week.

However, Nottingham Forest will not go down without a fight, and the hosts will take the game to Chelsea. But the away side will have the quality to clinch the valuable three points, with Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian producing the goods in the final third. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Enzo Maresca and his charges.