Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are separated by a solitary point in the Premier League table as they prepare to face off at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
While Mauricio Pochettino’s men have taken four points from a possible nine, Steve Cooper’s side have taken three points from as many matches.
The Blues are still adapting to life under Pochettino, while the Tricky Trees have shown some indications of green shoots during the early stages of the season.
Chelsea head into Saturday’s showdown on the back of a 2-1 victory over AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the EFL Cup, courtesy of goals from Noni Madueke and Enzo Fernandez.
Given that Chelsea racked up 84% possession and 23 shots on Wednesday, they could – and probably should – have scored more goals.
The Blues kicked off their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Chelsea before suffering a disappointing 3-1 defeat to London rivals West Ham United.
However, after crushing Luton Town 3-0 last weekend – thanks largely to a brace from Raheem Sterling – Chelsea will be confident of kicking on this weekend.
As for Nottingham Forest, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Burnley in the EFL Cup in midweek, failing to register a single attempt on target at the City Ground.
Last weekend, Forest raced into a 2-0 lead inside four minutes at Old Trafford, but they failed to hold onto their advantage.
Goals from Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes saw Manchester United come from behind to win 3-2, breaking Forest hearts in the process.
Cooper’s side also lost their first away game of the season, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal, but they bounced back with a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United the following weekend.
It is worth noting that Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi has found the back of the net in each of the past seven Premier League games, scoring nine goals along the way.
Head-to-head: Chelsea and Forest shared a couple of draws last season, playing out a 1-1 stalemate at the City Ground before drawing 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
However, that means the Tricky Trees have failed to win any of their previous six meetings with the Blues, suffering four defeats in that time.
Team news: Chelsea’s extensive injury list contains Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku, Carney Chukwuemeka, Armando Broja, Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, among others.
Forest, on the other hand, will be without injured centre-back Scott McKenna this weekend, while Orel Mangala and Danilo are doubts.
Although Forest have shown signs of improvement on the road this season, Chelsea should have more than enough quality to claim all three points on Saturday.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score at Stamford Bridge, although the hosts are expected to outscore the visitors.