Chelsea welcome Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge as the pair face off in a Premier League contest on Monday afternoon. Both teams will be hoping to carry their form from cup competitions into the league as they aim to improve their fortunes.
With Liam Rosenior sacked following Chelsea's 3-0 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, interim boss Calum McFarlane oversaw a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the FA Cup semifinal, setting up a title clash against Manchester City. However, Chelsea are outside the European spots in the league table, a point behind Bournemouth in seventh place.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile are on the brink of the UEFA Europa League final, having defeated Aston Villa 1-0 in the first leg of their semifinal. Earlier, a 5-0 win away to Sunderland saw Forest go five points clear of Tottenham Hotspur in the relegation zone, with manager Vitor Pereira overseeing a run of nine games without defeat in all competitions.
The last time these two teams met, Chelsea walked away with a routine 3-0 win at the City Ground in Nottingham, which resulted in then- Forest boss Ange Postecoglou being sacked.
Here's everything you need to know about Monday's game:
How to watch:
The match will be shown on Sky Sports in the UK, NBC / Vivo in the U.S., JioHotstar in India and Stan Sport in Australia. You can also follow ESPN's live updates.
Key Details:
Kick-off time: Monday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. BST (10:00 a.m. ET; 7:30 p.m. IST and 12:00 a.m. AEST).
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London
Referee: Anthony Taylor
VAR: James Bell
Injury and Team News:
Chelsea
Mykhailo Mudryk, F: suspended, OUT
Reece James, D: hamstring, DOUBT
Estêvão, F: hamstring, OUT
Jamie Gittens, F: hamstring, DOUBT
Levi Colwill, D: knee, OUT
Filip Jørgensen, GK: groin, DOUBT
Nottingham Forest
Dan Ndoye, F: discomfort, DOUBT
Murillo, D: muscle, DOUBT
Willy Boly, D: knee, OUT
John Victor, GK: knee, OUT
Nicolò Savona, D: knee, OUT
Callum Hudson-Odoi, F: muscle, OUT
TALKING POINTS:
Chelsea risk losing out on Europe
Even the prospect of an FA Cup title might not salvage what has been a disastrous campaign for Chelsea. The club have lost their last five Premier League games, and seven of their last nine in all competitions. It has seen them drop to eighth in the table -- now ten points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa with four games to go.
The lack of UEFA Champions League football next season will no doubt affect the club's ability to attract star managers or even star players, let alone keeping their present squad. Even the final spots for Europa League and UEFA Conference League qualification are being contested between multiple teams with Crystal Palace in thirteenth just five points off Chelsea with a game in hand.
Form will be crucial in the run-in, but Chelsea face a daunting trip to Liverpool, Manchester City in the FA Cup final, a London derby against relegation-threatened Spurs, before ending their campaign away to a Sunderland side that are also competing for European spots.
These are all games that a struggling Chelsea could conceivably lose, and the lack of European football would be catastrophic to their project. Returning to winning ways against Forest is thereby all the more imperative.
Will Europe League semifinal distract Forest?
Steve Nicol and Shaka Hislop react to Elliot Anderson's tackle on Ollie Watkins in Nottingham Forest's win over Aston Villa.
Forest are competing in their first semifinal in Europe since 1984, and are a draw at Aston Villa away from reaching the Europa League final. It would be quite the victory for owner Evangelos Marinakis who has employed four managers this campaign. Despite their precarious position in the league, there will be the temptation to rotate and keep things fresh for an all important pathway into the Champions League.
Manager Vitor Pereira however, isn't losing focus, saying "I will try to think just about the Chelsea game because it's out Champions League" in his pre-match press conference.
With West Ham United and Spurs both picking up wins in their previous games, Forest cannot afford to take their eye off the ball or they could only be two points clear with three games to go come the end of this matchweek. Players will naturally have an eye on protecting themselves for the semifinal, and also the World Cup, but Pereira ought to ensure that his side have their focus solely on Chelsea. The club host Newcastle United, then face a tough trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United before ending the season at home to Bournemouth - so need every point they can get to ensure safety.
Where are Chelsea's goals coming from?
Calum McFarlane speaks about the importance of Chelsea's FA Cup semifinal win over Leeds.
Chelsea had entered their FA Cup semifinal against Leeds United on a run of five Premier League games without a goal (their worst since 1912) and having scored only in two of their last seven games. Enzo Fernández scored the goal that sent Chelsea into the FA Cup final -- and it was hardly a surprise -- only Erling Haaland (27.6) has been involved in more sequences leading to an expected goal than the Argentinian (24.5).
However, Chelsea only managed 0.38 xG against Leeds (0.84 xG), and were outshot (8 vs 10) as well. Forest have only conceded four goals in their nine-game unbeaten run, with Pereira fashioning his side into an outfit that prides themselves on keeping a clean sheet.
McFarlane saw João Pedro and Cole Palmer return to fitness against Leeds, and will be hoping they can find the net - because the likes of Liam Delap, Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho have not been up to the task in recent times.
Forest's momentum ought to ensure survival
Vitor Pereira won his first game in charge after replacing Sean Dyche in February - a 3-0 win away to Fenerbahce - but lost four of his next five games, which included a 2-2 draw away to Manchester City. Ever since that run however, Forest have gone nine games unbeaten in all competitions, picking up six impressive wins that have taken them five clear from the relegation zone.
A large part of that resurgence has been the form of Morgan Gibbs-White with 12 of his 16 goal-involvements this season coming in 2026. This is already his best-ever campaign statistically and Pereira will be counting on him to provide the goals that ensure Forest's survival.
Elliot Anderson might have escaped a red card against Villa, but his performance in midfield was crucial in laying the platform for Chris Wood to rediscover his scoring touch. Pereira's side are finding their feet at the business end of the season and that could only bode well for the club.
What do the numbers say?
Nottingham Forest have not lost any of their three visits to Stamford Bridge since their return to the Premier League.
Chelsea have never failed to score in six consecutive league games in their history. They've also not lost six PL games in a row since November 1993.
Chelsea have only done a league double over Forest once in their history (1998/99).
Chelsea are the second-worst team in the league when conceding from corners (11), while Forest (3) are the third-best team in the league at scoring them since Pereira's arrival in February.
No player in the PL has won possession per game more often than Elliot Anderson (8.3).