Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest prediction, playing XI, team news and more | FA Cup 2019-20
It's fourth in Premier League against fourth in Championship as Chelsea take on Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round. This will be Frank Lampard's first game in charge for the Blues in the FA Cup.
Chelsea's season has been one see-saw ride this year. A mixture of impressive wins and terrible home form make Lampard and his men unpredictable and inconsistent. The London club took all 6 points against rivals Arsenal and Tottenham but failed to beat Brighton, Southampton and Bournemouth in their last 5 matches. A sluggish start to 2020 after being held at the Amex stadium by Brighton was a dent for them in the top four race, though they still sit at 4th with a five-point cushion.
The match takes place at Stamford Bridge on Sunday 5 January. All 32 matches will be delayed by a minute to encourage fans to consider their mental health as part of an FA initiative to promote positive well-being amongst fans.
Chelsea have launched specially-made anniversary kit to mark their FA Cup success. The blues will wear the kit for their FA Cup third-round clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday to commemorate 50 years since their iconic domestic triumph.
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest Head-to-Head
The Blues have progressed from the previous four times the two sides have met in an FA Cup tie. Nottingham Forest have lost their last five away matches against Chelsea in all competitions, with three of those defeats coming in FA Cup meetings.
Chelsea form guide: W-L-W-L-W-D
Nottingham Forest form guide: D-L-L-W-W-W
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest Team News
The hectic festive season kind of ensures heavy rotation for both the sides. Frank Lampard will be looking to make changes to his side which was held at the Amex on New Year's Day. Michy Batshuayi is one of several Chelsea players who is certainly expected to feature at the weekend. Batshuayi has scored 10 goals and assisted three more against lower-league sides in cup competitions.
This impressive tally also includes a hat-trick against Nottingham Forest in a League Cup match. The Belgian should replace Tammy Abraham, while Pedro and Callum Hudson-Odoi are in line to come in for Willian and Christian Pulisic.
Tariq Lamptey could make his first senior start for the Blues at right-back. Ross Barkley, who has become a forgotten man at Chelsea, will be looking to make the best of whatever chance he gets.
As for Forest, Lamouchi could hand starts to the likes of Carl Jenkinson and Michael Dawson. Chema limped out of Forest's 3-2 New Year's Day win over Blackburn and now looks set to miss the match. Yuri Ribeiro could return to his full-back position. Joao Carvalho and Albert Adomah will also be hopeful of an outing further forward.
Injuries: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marcos Alonso, Olivier Giroud, Marco van Ginkel
Doubtful: Billy Gilmour, Fikayo Tomori
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest Predicted XI:
Chelsea predicted XI: Willy Caballero; Tariq Lamptey, Andreas Christensen, Marc Guehi, Emerson Palmieri; Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley; Pedro, Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi; Michy Batshuayi
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest Prediction:
The visitors will be convinced of creating some problems for Chelsea, especially given their poor run of form at home. Early pressure and maybe even a goal could put pressure on Chelsea, but Chelsea should win this contest at the end of 90 minutes.
Verdict - Chelsea 3-1 Nottingham Forest
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Vishal Subramanian