CHELSEA got themselves back on winning ways against relegation contenders Bournemouth in midweek and now face another struggling team when they go to Nottingham Forest on New Year's Day.
The Blues have endured a miserable season by their standards – they are 16 points behind leaders Arsenal and even neighbours Fulham are only two points worse off. Their new manager bounce under Graham Potter has not paid off at all.
However, there were signs of Chelsea of old against the Cherries and while a 2-0 win was probably just about par for the course for them it's a lack of those routine wins that have really cost them this season.
So an away trip to a Forest side fighting for their lives is far from a foregone conclusion, especially this season.
But Chelsea will be boosted by the return of Croatia's Mateo Kovacic and Morocco's Hakim Ziyech after their World Cup heroics and there is something of a sense of the London side returning to becoming more of a force.
Forest were dismantled by Manchester United, but that was a free hit really and it's at the City Ground they will try to collect points if they are to stay up and they are the only side in the league who have failed to win away from home.
How the bookies view it
Chelsea are solid odds-on shots at 4/6 with Paddy Power. Nottingham Forest can be backed at 9/2 with Betfred and the same form offer 3/1 for a draw.
Recent head to heads
Remarkably, Chelsea haven't visited the City Ground since 1999 and their few meetings in the cups since then have all been at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have won all five meetings since then and only conceded one goal in the process.
Players to watch
Brennan Johnson netted a double for Forest in a Carabao Cup win against Blackburn Rovers last week and the Welsh international is a fair price at 5/1 to score here with bet365.
Kai Havertz and Mason Mount both scored against Bournemouth in midweek and the England man is 29/10 to net again at the City Ground on Sunday
Anything else catch the eye?
Chelsea are just about able to be backed at 4/6. Usually, you would expect a team of Chelsea's stature to be around 1/3 or so to win at a struggling club like Forest, so while it is odds-on, there's a sense that an improving Chelsea should be too strong for Forest.
Forest have scored in every league game except for one this season at the City Ground and so there is every chance they could contribute to the scoring. That makes the 7/4 on offer for a Chelsea win and over 2.5 goals a shout with bet365.
This English Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea will be played on Jan 1, 2023 and kick off at 16:30. Check below for our tipsters best Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
