Game Week 18 Predictions: Chelsea to beat Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest will try their best to stop Chelsea on Sunday but do they stand any real chance? (Photo credit: Sky Sports) Nottingham For...

Nottingham Forest will try their best to stop Chelsea on Sunday but do they stand any real chance? (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea

The City Ground

5:30pm

It’s the final game of Game Week Eighteen and Chelsea must understand that their fight for a top-four finish starts and ends here; no two ways about it, they should forget about it if they slip up in this fixture.

The Blues will be able to welcome a new midfielder, not quite proven if we’re keeping it a buck as we’re always wary of signing a player off his performances at the World Cup but Enzo Fernandes is almost in and Chelsea fans can be happy with that.

Nottingham Forest knows how much this game means but the quality in their squad would depend on Chelsea failing to come to the party; Forest has beaten a big side this season with their shock defeat of Liverpool, they can stay believing.

Forest will be able to welcome back Dean Henderson to the starting lineup after he was left out of the squad against Manchester United as he couldn't face his parent club; in his absence at Old Trafford, Wayne Hennessey did his best but shipped three, even Jesse Lingard couldn't make the difference.

They’re top candidates for the drop, signing more than twenty players in one window is an experiment that is certain to fail; Steve Cooper has a huge job on his hands and if he can get a result here, it can be the springboard to a sensational run.

Chelsea beat Bournemouth 2-0 on Boxing Day but it wasn’t entirely pretty; the Cherries gave some fight that Chelsea struggled to cope with late on but they managed to keep things together and the three points showed up, they need to do that again.

We’re headed to the part where you’d rather play a big side than play a side in the drop zone, we’re not there yet but we’re not far off. Nottingham Forest can cause an upset but they will need more than luck to achieve that.

They have some fans that will bring down the roof, they will cheer every tackle and intimidate the opposition but do their players have the quality within to follow up with a decent performance? Chelsea shouldn’t have it easy but the result is bound to head one way.

Chelsea will be expected to line up the same way as against Bournemouth while Nottingham Forest will tweak a thing or two from the side that fell short against Manchester United, whatever the case is, Chelsea should find joy at the City Ground.

Verdict: Chelsea to win