Chelsea come into the weekend feeling good after Estevao’s stoppage-time goal gave them a 2-1 win over Liverpool. However, Enzo Maresca will miss one game for his celebration on that night at Stamford Bridge. Willy Caballero will have to take charge of the Blues at Nottingham tomorrow at noon.
The visitors are in seventh place with 11 points from seven games, and they won’t have Cole Palmer for six more weeks. Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill are out, but Reece James is ready to come back.
Meanwhile, after seven games without a win since Ange Postecoglou took over from Nuno Espirito Santo, Forest has dropped to 17th place. On Friday, Postecoglou looked like he was going to fight back.
“The pressure’s there, it’s always there. Pressure is part of managing at this level, and we’re all judged by our results. And at the moment, the results are suggesting I’m not doing a good job.”
Maresca, addressing Palmer’s absence, added:
“I was wrong about Palmer. Unfortunately, he needs to be out for six more weeks. We do not have another player like Cole. Cole is unique.”
The past favors the Blues. In their last eight league games against Chelsea, Forest have only won one. Chelsea have won three of the last four league games they played away at the City Ground. Their last loss there in the Premier League was in January 1997.
Nottingham Forest vs. Chelsea: Postecoglou Speaks
After seven league games without a win since Postecoglou took over, Forest is in 17th place going into the weekend. This has put more pressure on the Australian ahead of a crucial home game. According to Reuters, the coach has asked for patience even though the results haven’t been what they were hoping for.
He further added:
“It’s always important to win the next game, and we’re up against a very good team [Chelsea]. We’ve been training for a few weeks now, and everyone is in good shape after the international break.
Talk of pressure around the Forest dugout has been the main topic of conversation leading up to the game.