Premier League: Free-Spending Chelsea Have Momentum Ahead of Forest Clash

Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest

Chelsea are set to host Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on Saturday with the aim of recording back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time in the 2023-24 season.

The Blues won against the newly promoted Luton Town on Saturday with a 3-0 scoreline, and they are in good spirits following their 2-1 comeback win against AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the EFL Cup.

In stark contrast, Nottingham Forest are not in a great mood because Steve Cooper’s boys are fresh from a 3-2 Premier League loss against Manchester United and they are already out of the EFL Cup after losing to Burnley 1-0.

Will Nottingham Forest break out of their rut, or will it continue because of Chelsea’s recent run? Take a look at today’s SBOTOP preview for this contest.

Talking Points

A healthier squad would be nice for Chelsea

The Blues have been criticised (or even ridiculed) for spending a ton this summer transfer window to reinforce their squad. But given their lineup situation, it’s understandable why they had to do it.

Sure, having a rich owner like Todd Boehly helps, but they also managed to sell several players in order to not go overboard with the FFP rules.

Perhaps before the summer transfer window deadline, they will get another player or two, but the fact remains that Mauricio Pochettino won’t have a full squad to choose from, with a huge chunk of their roster expected to be fit in mid-September after the international break.

Team captain Reece James (hamstring), Carney Chukwuemeka (knee), Mykhailo Mudryk (fitness), and Romeo Lavia (fitness) are the latest blows for Chelsea. As it stands today, the Blues will miss at least 10 players ahead of their game against Nottingham Forest.

Wing-back Malo Gusto has slotted in nicely for Reece James, while Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Jackson, Conor Gallagher, and Enzo Fernandez have also played well recently for Chelsea. Prized acquisition Moises Caicedo is also adapting well, to his credit.

With the exception of Gallagher, all of them were rested against AFC Wimbledon, so they should get back into the starting lineup on Saturday.

Awoniyi putting Nottingham Forest on his back

Taiwo Awoniyi scored probably the quickest goal of his career when he put one past Manchester United after the first two minutes of the game. Willy Boly added another one for Nottingham Forest two minutes later, but it was all gone for naught as the Red Devils made a furious comeback.

In their EFL Cup loss against Burnley last night, Awoniyi was rested and only came off the bench in the 88^th minute.

The game would’ve been much different if he was started up front alongside Brennan Johnson and Morgan Gibbs-White, but Steve Cooper decided to save him for this weekend in favour of Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood instead.

The Nigerian striker is in great form, to say the least, as he has already scored three goals in three league games for Nottingham Forest. All in all, Taiwo Awoniyi has scored in each of his last seven league matches (nine goals), dating back to last season.

History

Chelsea and Nottingham Forest had back-to-back exciting draws last season: 1-1 in January and 2-2 in May this year. Raheem Sterling scored all three goals for Chelsea, while Taiwo Awoniyi registered two and Serge Aurier scored one for Nottingham Forest.

The Blues are undefeated in their last nine meetings with Nottingham Forest across all competitions since a 2-0 loss in January 1997.

The visitors have won just one of their last 14 road matches against the Blues in all competitions (D5, L8). Their last road win against them was a 2-0 result in January 1995.

And since their return to the English top-flight last season, Nottingham Forest have won just one of their 21 Premier League road matches (D5, L15).

Betting Tip 

The Premier League 2023 odds have the hosts as the favourites to win on Saturday, as Chelsea are priced at 1.34, while a Nottingham Forest win is at 6.80, and a draw is pegged at 4.80 in the 1X2 market.

Nottingham Forest managed to draw with Chelsea twice last season, but that also means that Chelsea are unbeaten against them in quite some time, and that speaks for itself.

Moreover, with these two teams in good scoring form, there should be a handful of goals that will be in the Premier League 2023 highlights reel this weekend, making Over 2.50 at 1.67 a viable alternative bet.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.