Chelsea aim to build momentum against Forest without injured Palmer

Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon when they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Enzo Maresca’s side came from behind to beat Liverpool in their most recent outing, thanks to goals by Moises Caicedo and Estevao.

The result lifted the Blues to seventh in the table, just three points off the top four, and restored belief after a run of inconsistent results.

However, Maresca will serve a one-match touchline ban following his exuberant celebrations against Liverpool, leaving his assistants to take charge in Nottingham.

The Italian will also have to juggle a lengthy injury list, with Cole Palmer ruled out for another six weeks and Benoit Badiashile facing a new setback that keeps him sidelined until December.

Liam Delap, Levi Colwill, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Dario Essugo remain unavailable, while Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Pedro Neto are doubts after missing Thursday’s session.

Reece James has returned to full fitness, and Maresca confirmed that Trevoh Chalobah is back from suspension, giving the visitors a welcome boost as they look to improve their poor away form.

Chelsea have won just three of their last 14 Premier League away games and collected only 12 points on the road in 2025.

Their hosts are enduring a much tougher period. Forest have yet to win under Ange Postecoglou, and he is already under pressure with his side sitting one point above the relegation zone.

Forest have lost three successive matches in all competitions and have failed to score in their last two Premier League games.

Forest’s main issue has been their vulnerability late in matches, having conceded more than half of their goals after the 70th minute since the new manager’s arrival.

Maresca admitted his staff had studied those trends closely but insisted Chelsea must stay adaptable and control the game’s rhythm rather than rely solely on data.

A win for the visitors would mark their fourth in five across all competitions and continue an upward trend after a rocky start to the season.

For Forest, victory would not only be their first under Postecoglou but also a much-needed spark to halt their slide towards the bottom three.