Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Preview: Postecoglou Under Pressure as Maresca’s Men Aim to Build Momentum

Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest welcome Chelsea to the City Ground as the Forest manager continues his search for a first victory with his new club. The fixture is a repeat of the final-day clash of the 2024/25 season a decisive encounter that Chelsea won 2–0 to secure Champions League qualification, ending Forest’s hopes of returning to Europe’s top competition.

This time around, Forest find themselves in 17th place with just one win from their opening seven games. European ambitions feel like a distant memory. Chelsea, meanwhile, will look to build on an impressive 2-1 victory over Liverpool before the international break.

It’s no secret that Postecoglou’s future is already under serious doubt. The Australian will be feeling the pressure as his side remain winless after seven matches in charge. In typical box-office style, though, Postecoglou brushed off questions about his future in the pre-match press conference, saying:

“The story always ends the same, me with a trophy.”

He was also quick to remind reporters how early he is into his tenure, noting that he has only just found an apartment to move into.

While new managers need time to implement their philosophies, Forest supporters’ concerns are understandable. If their current form continues, they could soon find themselves dragged into a relegation battle a stark contrast to the Champions League qualification chase they enjoyed under Nuno Espírito Santo last season. On a brighter note for the Midlands side, only Ola Aina remains unavailable as he continues his recovery from thigh surgery.

Chelsea head into the game buoyed by their impressive win over title contenders Liverpool. Enzo Maresca’s side controlled large parts of that match and will be eager to maintain that level of performance as they push toward the top of the table. The international break came at an ideal time for the injury-hit Blues, allowing key defenders Tosin Adarabioyo and Wesley Fofana to regain fitness. Trevoh Chalobah is also back after serving a suspension.

Those returns provide much-needed defensive depth for Chelsea, who finished the Liverpool match with Reece James and 18-year-old Jorrel Hato at centre-back. However, Maresca will still be without Cole Palmer, Benoît Badiashile, and Liam Delap. The game at the City Ground also presents Chelsea with an opportunity to improve their poor away record they have picked up just 12 Premier League points on the road in 2025.

Predicted Line-Ups

Nottingham Forest (4-2-3-1): Sels; Savona, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Anderson, Dominguez; Ndoye, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.

Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Sánchez; James, Chalobah, Adarabioyo, Cucurella; Caicedo, Enzo; Neto, Buonanotte, Garnacho; Pedro.