Chelsea will be desperate to keep their top four hopes alive when they travel to relegation struggling Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The blues are approaching this fixture off the back of a convincing 2:0 win over Bournemouth in their last outing at the bridge. While Forest are currently grasping for air at the bottom of the table, a loss against Chelsea would further snuff the air out of Steve Cooper and his men.
However, Forest boast of an impressive record in January fixtures, winning 11/19 premier league matches. A win percentage of about 58%. Only United boasts of a better win rate than Forest in January with 65%, the best in the premier league history.
Nottingham Forest team news :
Nottingham Forest will be happy to welcome back first choice GK Dean Henderson after the England shot stopper missed the United tie due to loan restrictions. Forest are currently fighting a list of injuries with Morgan Gibbs – White and Jessie Lingard being major doubts. Lingard came off against United with a slight discomfort in his hamstring. Kouyate, Niakhate, Omar Richards and Biancone remain long term absentees.
Chelsea team news :
Chelsea are set to rekindle life without Reece James as the England international sustained an injury setback to his knee during the game against Bournemouth. James who had missed out on a trip to Qatar has now been sidelined for up to 3-4 weeks. Meanwhile, Cesar Azpilicueta is set to replace the English right back in the starting XI. While the likes of Fofana, Kante, Broja, Chilwell and Loftus Cheek are set to miss out on the Forest trip as well. However, Chelsea have received a massive boost as world cup hot performers in Hakim Ziyech and Matteo Kovacic who were both granted extended breaks could make the match day squad.
Nottingham Forest potential line up – Dean Henderson, Serge Williams, Worall, Boly, Lodi, Yates, Frueler, Mangala, Johnson, Awoniyi. Dennis.
Chelsea potential line up – Kepa, Azpi Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Jorginho, Zakaria, Mount, Pulisic, Havertz, Sterling.
My preferred Chelsea line up – Kepa, Azpi, Thiago Silva, Koulibaly, Cucurella, Jorginho, Zakaria, Mount, Pulisic, Havertz, Sterling.
