Chelsea FC vs Nottingham Forest: Prediction, kick-off time, TV, live stream, team news, h2h results, odds

Calum McFarlane faces an uphill task to guide the west London club into the Champions League after a rotten run of form under Liam Rosenior, which saw the Englishman sacked.

McFarlane has taken over as interim boss for the second time this term after taking over the reins from Enzo Maresca back in January.

The Blues are eighth in the Premier League table after five successive league defeats has seen them slip beneath Bournemouth and Brighton.

Forest, meanwhile, are looking to distance themselves from the relegation battle as they aim to continue their form.

Vitor Pereira’s side romped to a 5-0 victory at Sunderland last time out in a result that saw them a huge step towards safety.

They are 16th, five points clear of Tottenham, who occupy the final place in the bottom three.

Date, kick-off time and venue

The match will take place at Stamford Bridge.

Where to watch Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on Sky Sports Main Event, with coverage starting at 2.30pm BST.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the Sky Go app.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.

Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest team news

For McFarlane, there are a number of injury concerns.

The first is Estevao, whose hamstring issue will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the campaign, while captain Reece James is also out with a similar problem as time ticks down before Thoms Tuchel announces his World Cup squad.

McFarlane has said that he hopes to see Levi Colwill feature before the season is out as he recovers from an ACL tear, while Jamie Gittens suffered a fresh setback as he looks to get over his own hamstring injury.

Filip Jorgensen has been out with a groin injury since March, and there is hope that he could return to the matchday squad this week.

As for Forest, Pereira will be without Callum Hudson-Odoi, John Victor, Nico Savona and Willy Boly for the remainder of the campaign.

In the shorter term, Murillo and Ibrahim Sangare will face a fitness test ahead of this game, and the same will be made of Dan Ndoye.

Jair Cunha will have his shoulder injury assessed ahead of a potential return.

Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest prediction

This is a must-win game for Chelsea if they want to position themselves back in Champions League contention.

For Forest, avoid defeat and they are one step closer to securing safety.

McFarlane got the Blues back on song in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, and he will be hoping for a repeat performance in a bid to end the season strongly.