Premier League action returns with visit of Chelsea
Forest host the Blues on Saturday lunchtime
Forest Preview has all the pre-match info
Nottingham Forest return to Premier League action at the City Ground on Saturday lunchtime when the Reds welcome Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea to NG2.
Ange Postecoglou’s side go into the match in search of their first Premier League win since August, when Chris Wood’s brace and Dan Ndoye’s first goal in the Garibaldi secured a 3-1 win over Brentford at the City Ground.
Chelsea, meanwhile, recorded a dramatic 2-1 win against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge thanks to Estêvão’s 90+5th-minute goal.
Saturday’s meeting will be the 101st between the two clubs, with Forest claiming victory in 27 of those matches. Thirty-one fixtures have ended in draws, while Chelsea have won the remaining 42.
Opposition in focus
Stamford Bridge - Chelsea v Forest - 2024/25
Stamford Bridge - Chelsea v Forest - 2024/25
The Blues go into Saturday’s match on Trentside sitting seventh in the Premier League table after recording three wins from their opening seven league fixtures.
Before the international break, Enzo Maresca’s Blues recorded successive wins in the Champions League and Premier League, with a 1-0 win over Benfica followed by a 2-1 win against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
Three league points have also come against West Ham United at the London Stadium and Fulham on home soil so far in the current campaign.
Chelsea finished the 2024/25 campaign in fourth place, Maresca’s first season in charge of the Blues since moving to west London from Leicester City during the summer of 2024.
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Team news
Ange Postecoglou confirmed that Douglas Luiz, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Murillo are all available for the match having missed fixtures through injury before the international break.
Enzo Maresca told the media that Cole Palmer is expected to miss a further six weeks after picking up an injury before the international break. Elsewhere, Benoît Badiashile has been ruled out until December, and there are doubts around the fitness of the trio Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, and Pedro Neto.
Long-term absentees Liam Delap and Levi Colwill remain on the sidelines.
However, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, and Andrey Santos could all return to action on Trentside.
A foot in both camps
Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant made a combined 301 appearances for Nottingham Forest and Chelsea during his playing days.
The former goalkeeper enjoyed four years at Stamford Bridge between 1989 and 1993, playing 149 times for the Blues.
Later in his career, Beasant moved north to NG2, amassing 152 appearances for Forest across another four-year spell and keeping 50 clean sheets between the sticks during that time.
Dave Beasant spoke exclusively to Forest Review ahead of Saturday’s meeting on Trentside, discussing his time at the City Ground and what he has been up to since his playing days came to an end. Pick up your copy of Forest Review around the City Ground ahead of kick-off on Saturday.
Two sumptuous left-footed strikes from Stuart Pearce and Chris Bart-Williams secured three Premier League points for the Reds against Chelsea in 1997.
After Pearce opened the scoring five minutes before half-time, Bart-Williams expertly picked out the top left corner of the net on 53 minutes to secure the win for the Reds on Trentside.
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Chris Kavanagh
Chris Kavanagh - referees
Chris Kavanagh has been selected to oversee Forest’s match against Chelsea on Saturday lunchtime.
The official has taken charge of six Premier League outings so far in 2025/26, with his most recent being Crystal Palace’s dramatic 2-1 win against Liverpool at Selhurst Park.
Kavanagh has yet to officiate a fixture involving either the Reds or Chelsea in the current campaign, with his most recent involvement with both clubs coming in 2024/25.
He last took charge of the Reds during their 1-0 win against Manchester City in March, while his last fixture involving the Blues was their 1-0 win against Manchester United in May. He also oversaw last season’s previous meeting between Forest and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
In total this season, Kavanagh has awarded 20 yellow cards in the Premier League and is yet to brandish either a second yellow or a straight red card. He has awarded two penalties.
Assisting Kavanagh on Trentside will be Dan Cook and Ian Hussin, with Tom Kirk confirmed as the fourth official. Peter Bankes is on VAR duty, while Blake Antrobus is the assistant VAR.
Live commentary from BBC Radio Nottingham is available on Forest TV for this fixture. Forest TV packages are available in both monthly (£5.99) and yearly (£44.99) options, granting access to exclusive and on-demand content and commentary on the men’s first-team matches.
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We hope you enjoy the match...
COME ON YOU REDS!