17:30 Saturday

Saturday’s late kick-off in the Premier League will have huge ramifications in the battle against relegation and the race for the European places. Nottingham Forest welcome Chelsea to the City Ground knowing three points would make them safe from the drop.

Nottingham Forest come into this match three points above Luton. They have flirted with relegation for large periods of the season but things would have been a lot more comfortable if they hadn’t have been docked four points by the Premier League.

Chelsea’s improving form has seen them move into European contention. Mauricio Pochettino remains under pressure but there are positive signs for the Blues faithful.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Bet Builder Tips

  • Both Teams To Score
  • Cole Palmer To Score
  • Over 3.5 Cards In The Match

 

Our bet builder for this one features three betting angles and is available at odds of 3.34/1 with Paddy Power using the oddschecker bet builder comparison tool. As always, make sure you compare Bet Builder prices with other bookmakers as the variance can be high. 

You can click here to build the bet through oddschecker and check out the differences in price, or go direct to Paddy Power via the offer below.

You can also back the Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea bet builder selections as individual legs. You can find each of them below with more explanation from Scott Thornton.

Both Teams To Score

Both of these are having a hard time keeping the opposition at bay so the first angle in our bet builder is for both teams to score. 

Nottingham Forest have kept just one clean sheet in the Premier League at the City Ground this season. They are conceding an average of 1.5 goals in those matches but have also managed to score 1.39 per game.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were unfortunate not to find the net in their last home match against Manchester City. Forest squandered a number of good chances but I expect them to find the net here. A win would mean they are safe from relegation and the visitors are vulnerable.

Chelsea haven’t kept a clean sheet in a league game on the road since beating Fulham 2-0 and the start of October. Since then, both teams have scored in 12 of their 14 away matches. The exceptions were Chelsea’s defeats at the Emirates and Goodison Park. Both teams scored when Chelsea visited this ground last season.

Cole Palmer To Score

Few would have predicted that Cole Palmer would have such a big impact when he made the switch from Manchester City in the summer. Palmer came with an abundance of talent but a limited number of games under his belt. His performances this season make him one of the star names in the Premier League and Chelsea will be hoping he continues to progress.

Only Erling Haaland boasts a better goals tally than Palmer’s 21 in the league. The young midfielder has been a shining light for Chelsea and has also registered nine assists. He displays a level of composure that is not usually seen in a young player. This is at its most evident when he steps up to take a penalty.

Palmer has scored 11 goals in his last eight matches in the Premier League so he comes into this one in great form. Much is made of how many of those are spot kicks but Cole’s non-penalty xG of 0.40 per 90 minutes puts him in the 96th percentile when compared with all attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues. 

Over 3.5 Cards In The Match

Nottingham Forest’s matches have seen an average of 4.75 cards per game in this campaign. There were seven cards when they faced Chelsea earlier  in the season and the importance of this fixture should mean we see them get stuck in.

Chelsea matches force more cards from the referees than any other.  Their away matches have seen 5.88 cards on average so over 3.5 looks very doable here. There were four cards when the Blues visited this ground last season.