Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea: head-to-head record

Played 94 (all comps)
Won 40
Drawn 28
Lost 26

Biggest league win for each team:
Nottingham Forest 1-5 Chelsea 1925/26 Division Two
Nottingham Forest 7-0 Chelsea 1990/91 Division One
Biggest top-flight win at the City Ground – 4-0 in 1922/23 Division One

Chelsea are looking to extend our winning sequence against Nottingham Forest to eight matches, although our last five have come in the FA Cup (four) and League Cup (one), all at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are looking to win three consecutive league matches against Forest for the first time since August 1966 under Tommy Docherty.

This will be our first league meeting this century having not played each other for nearly 24 years, when we defeated Forest 3-1 at the City Ground in February 1999.

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• The Chelsea players are ready!

Since both sides were promoted to the First Division in 1977 when Eddie McCreadie and Brian Clough were in charge, we have played each other on 14 occasions at the City Ground, all in either Division One or the Premier League. Forest have won seven of those encounters and Chelsea three.

Last five meetings at the City Ground

16 Jan 1993 Premier League L 0-3
19 Nov 1994 Premier League W 1-0
23 Aug 1995 Premier League D 0-0
11 Jan 1997 Premier League L 0-2
20 Feb 1999 Premier League W 3-1

Chelsea form

Last five Premier League results:

Man Utd (h) D 1-1
Brighton (a) L 1-4
Arsenal (h) L 0-1
Newcastle (a) L 0-1
Bournemouth (h) W 2-0

Graham Potter’s side have lost the last three away games in all competitions. We last lost four in a row on the road in January/February 2019, when Maurizio Sarri was in charge.

Of our last 11 first Premier League games of a calendar year, Chelsea have won three (all away), the most recent of which was 3-0 at Crystal Palace in 2016.

Chelsea are unbeaten in our last six away games against newly-promoted clubs since our 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United in July 2020. That was our only reverse in our past 11 matches against such sides (eight wins, two draws).

Nottingham Forest form

Last five Premier League results:

Liverpool (h) W 1-0
Arsenal (a) L 0-5
Brentford (h) D 2-2
Crystal Palace (h) W 1-0
Man Utd (a) L 0-3

Having lost three home Premier League games in a row earlier in the season, Steve Cooper’s side are unbeaten at the City Ground in four matches (two wins, two draws) since losing 3-2 to Fulham on 16 September.

Nottingham Forest have won their first league game in each of the last four calendar years – Millwall 1-0 in 2022, Preston 1-0 (2021), Blackburn 3-2 (2020) and Leeds 4-2 (2019).

Forest have won 11 of their 19 Premier League games in January, their best win rate in a single month in the competition (58 per cent). Only Man Utd have a better win rate in the opening month of the year (65 per cent).

Eleven of their 13 points (85 per cent) have been won at home this season.

Chelsea stats

Kepa Arrizabalaga has the best save percentage in the Premier League this season (minimum two games): seven games, 83.9 per cent save percentage, 26 saves, five goals conceded, four clean sheets. He has moved ahead of Dmitri Kharine with 52 clean sheets and is now 10th on our all-time clean sheet list.

Thiago Silva has made more clearances (52), blocks (16) and interceptions (20) than any other Chelsea player this season.

Raheem Sterling has been involved in 10 goals in his last 11 Premier League away games against promoted sides (eight goals, two assists). He also needs one goal to reach a half-century in the Premier League away from home, and become the fourth youngest to reach that landmark in the competition.

Chelsea milestones

If selected, Cesar Azpilicueta will become our leading overseas appearance maker with 495 games.

Against Bournemouth on Tuesday, Thiago Silva’s made his 100th Blues appearance, and Mason Mount started for the 150th time for the club.

Nottingham Forest stats

Forest returned to the Premier League this season for the first time since 1998/99. Their gap of 23 seasons in between Premier League campaigns is the longest for any club.

Only Bournemouth have conceded more goals (34) than Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this season (33).

Nottingham Forest have conceded a league-high 12 Premier League goals from outside the box.

This season’s Premier League stats (16 games)

Most appearances: Johnson 16, Williams 16, Henderson 15
Most assists: Gibbs-White 2, Dennis 1, Yates 1
Clean sheets: Henderson 4
Most fouls committed: Yates 30, Williams 19, Kouyate 15
Most yellow cards: Cook 4, McKenna 4, Worrall 4

Premier League scorers: (11)

Awoniyi 3, Gibbs-White 2, Johnson 2 (1 pen), Dennis 1, Kouyate 1, O’Brien 1, own goal 1

Premier League results and fixtures

Results 26-28 December

• Arsenal 3-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 1-3 Liverpool

• Brentford 2-2 Tottenham

• Chelsea 2-0 Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace 0-3 Fulham

• Everton 1-2 Wolves

• Leeds 1-3 Man City

• Leicester 0-3 Newcastle

• Man Utd 3-0 Nottm Forest

• Southampton 1-3 Brighton

Matchweek 18 Premier League fixtures

Friday

• West Ham v Brentford 7.45pm

• Liverpool v Leicester 8pm (Sky)

Saturday

• Wolves v Man Utd 12.30pm (BT)

• Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 3pm

• Fulham v Southampton 3pm

• Man City v Everton 3pm

• Newcastle v Leeds 3pm

• Brighton v Arsenal 5.30pm (Sky)

Sunday

• Tottenham v Aston Villa 2pm (Sky)

• Nottingham Forest v Chelsea 4.30pm (Sky)