- Chelsea have won just once in five matches, losing four.
- Nottingham Forest have won their last three games, beating Sunderland and Burnley in the last week.
- Chelsea have won six, drawn five and lost six of 17 home Premier League games this season.
Blues’ identity has been restored under Calum McFarlane
The Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest preview shows that Chelsea are in poor form, having lost to Manchester United at home (0-1) and Brighton away (3-0) in their last two Premier League matches, and had a 1-0 win over Leeds United at Stamford Bridge in the FA Cup. Joao Pedro remains the Blues’ main goal scorer with 14 goals in 32 Premier League appearances and is the most consistent threat to the Forest goal on Monday.
The Blues’ identity was somewhat unclear until Calum McFarlane took charge in April 2026 and has since overseen a return to the club’s identity as a structured team that plays possession-based football, shapes and reshapes as a unit and has multiple pressing triggers. This Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest prediction highlights that McFarlane’s side, while not spectacular, is consistent in this approach and has scored 23 times in 17 home Premier League games.
Nottingham Forest, by contrast, have gone through multiple identities this season. A compact, counter-attacking approach gave way to a high-tempo, pressing style and back again as coaches came and went, but Vítor Pereira has finally settled on a hybrid of structure and speed that appears to be working. The Tricky Trees enter this clash in resurgent form, having won three in a row.
Expect a close game with potential for chaos
Nottingham Forest won 5-0 away to Sunderland and 4-1 at home to Burnley in their last couple of games and this fixture has extra narrative value given their result against Chelsea earlier in the season set in motion the chain of events which led to Pereira’s appointment. Morgan Gibbs-White is Forest’s most likely goal scorer here, having scored 13 league goals in 34 games and five of Forest’s last ten goals.
Given the current form of both sides, our Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest prediction is that a draw seems the most likely result at Stamford Bridge. For those interested in betting, these Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest betting tips suggest that over 2.5 goals looks likely, with at least one of the teams failing to score. Forest have drawn three of their 17 away league fixtures this term and Chelsea have failed to win their last two home games against the Tricky Trees, so a 1-1 draw is my exact score prediction.
