Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Prediction and Betting Tip- Odds, H2H and Preview Predictions

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Preview

Well, then. This is it. With the relegation battle and the title race all long wrapped up, all that remains in the Premier League is the race for any remaining European positions.

As has been known for a while, a whopping 10 Premier League sides may compete in Europe next season, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Tottenham and Crystal Palace all securing spaces through various means, with Newastle in particular hoping to upgrade their Conference League place, earned with their Carabao Cup win, into a Champions League spot instead.

However, three Champions League spots and a Europa League and Conference League spot apiece are still awaiting a team to claim them. That moment, for all of those fantastic prizes, will all be decided on the Premier League's final day.

With five teams all vying for a position in Europe's premier contest, two of them will do battle on the final day, with a Nottingham Forest side that has shocked Europe this season looking to complete a fairytale against a Chelsea side desperate to get back to where they so often were before.

Key Statistics

• Nottingham Forest go into the game needing a win as an absolute must
• Victory for The Reds will see them put Chelsea behind them, but they will still need Aston Villa or Newcastle to drop points in their games in order to make it into the Champions League for certain
• For Chelsea, a win at The City Ground will almost certainly secure their Champions League spot, as if Aston Villa and Newcastle both win as well, Chelsea's superior goal difference will likely oust Villa from contention
• The Blues are guaranteed some form of Europe next season through the league, and still have a Conference League final to play against Real Betis. Victory there will see them earn a Europa League spot, should they not earn one on the Premier League final day

Nottingham Forest Preview

Predicted Starting Lineup: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, Wood

Nottingham Forest's season has been nothing short of spectacular.

Having circled the drain in the Premier League for their first two seasons, following play-off success in 2022, Nuno Santo's side have stunned the league on their way to European qualification, guaranteeing a spot in continental action for the first time since 1996.

However, having sat comfortably in 3rd place for the majority of the season, The Reds will not appreciate their final fortunes being left for the final day. Poor form and injury trouble hit Forest at the worst time of the season, seeing the East Midlands side fall out of the Champions League spots into 7th, which only secures them a spot in the Conference League.

The story isn't finished for Forest yet, however, with a huge win over West Ham last time out spurring them into life once more. They go into the clash at The City Ground needing nothing less than a win over Chelsea, and then still require Aston Villa or Newcastle to drop points against Manchester United and Everton respectively in order to make it back to the Champions League, a competition famously won twice in the Brian Clough era of Forest.

In terms of availability, Forest have a decent bill of health to help them through. Taiwo Awoniyi will remain out after his horrific injury in a 2-2 draw with Leicester City a couple of weeks ago.

In lighter news, however, Murillo should be fit to remain in the starting 11. The Brazilian defender was assisted off at half-time in the win over West Ham, but magically came back to play the rest of the match to see out the win.

In more good news, former Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi made his return from injury in the West Ham game. The winger has been a key figure for Forest this season, and he will be a likely starter on the final day.

Chelsea Preview

Predicted Starting Lineup: Sanchez; James, Colwill, Chalobah, Cucurella, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Neto, Madueke, George

Though many have pointed and laughed at Chelsea for all of their signings made since the arrival of Todd Boehly, the Stamford Bridge outfit may be just one game away from a return to the big time.

A phenomenal run in the Conference League has set up a grand-slam final with Real Betis, whilst huge wins over the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United have propelled The Blues into sure-fire contention on the Premier League's final day.

This Chelsea side have been a far cry, for a few years, from the one led by Thomas Tuchel to a Champions League win back in 2021, but manager Enzo Maresca has helped to re-build a side more than worthy of it's standing in the league.

Chelsea have less outside inference than their hosts in this one, in regards to their Champions League hopes, with a win likely enough to push them into the top five at the expense of Aston Villa, given Chelsea's superior goal difference.

One thing is for certain, on a day to be full of the exact opposite, this game is a must-win affair for both of it's combatants.

For availability, Nicholas Jackson will miss the game, and the first of next season, thanks to a straight red card in a game with Newcastle United, a loss for Chelsea, in the game before last. Omari Kellyman and Wesley Fofana are likely to remain in the medical room, whilst Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu are both doubts.

Where to Watch

This contest has been selected for live television coverage on Sky Sports. Kick-off at The City Ground is at 4pm UK time, on Sunday, May 25th.

Head-to-Head

Last 5 matches:

Chelsea 1-1 Nottingham Forest - Premier League - 06/10/24 Nottingham Forest 2-3 Chelsea - Premier League - 11/05/24 Chelsea 0-1 Nottingham Forest - Premier League - 02/09/23 Chelsea 2-2 Nottingham Forest - Premier League - 13/05/23 Nottingham Forest 1-1 Chelsea - Premier League - 01/01/23

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Betting Tip

Given the tension in the air for this must-win clash, we can see the game unfolding into plenty of chances, given both team's desperation.

With that, we have decided that the best bet here is for Both Teams to Score. You can get this at odds of 1.59 over at Highbet, meaning a £10 stake returns £15.90!

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Prediction

With a likely raucous crowd and unpalpable belief behind them, we think Nottingham Forest will be the team to get the all-important win, even though they require help elsewhere to get what they want. We're going with a tense 2-1 win for the hosts on Sunday.