Nottingham Forest will be looking to end a 45-year streak when they face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday evening.
Nottingham Forest will hope to end a 45-year streak when they square off against Chelsea on Saturday evening.
The East Midlands outfit will be participating in their first fixture since it was announced that their appeal over a four-point penalty for breaching the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability regulations had been rejected.
However, last week’s 3-1 victory over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane has put Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side into a position where they are on the brink of avoiding relegation.
Should Forest overcome Chelsea at the weekend, they will effectively guarantee that they will be a top-flight club in 2024-25 courtesy of their superior goal difference to the likes of Luton Town and Burnley.
Depending on results ahead of their showdown at the City Ground, a draw may prove enough to secure their Premier League status for a third successive season.
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Forest looking to end 45-year run
While survival is Nuno’s and Forest’s priority, they have an opportunity to achieve something that they last recorded in the 1978-79 campaign.
Forest are looking to register their first double over Chelsea since that particular season, something made possible courtesy of their 1-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge in September.
An Anthony Elanga goal early in the second half secured all three points for Forest, then under the leadership of Steve Cooper.
Another statistic that is in Forest’s favour is Chelsea’s struggles at the City Ground, with just two wins being recorded in their last 10 league fixtures at the stadium.
They would come in November 1994 and February 1999. However, since then, there has been just one game at the City Ground, last season’s 1-1 draw on New Year’s Day.
Since the turn of the millennium, there have been eight matches between these teams in all competitions, seven of which have taken place at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea’s poor away form
Chelsea have been impressive in recent matches, collecting seven points from fixtures against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Nevertheless, five away games have come and gone without registering a win, the Blues recording four draws and posting a 5-0 defeat at Arsenal.
The last away success for Mauricio Pochettino‘s side was a 3-1 triumph against Crystal Palace on February 12, Chelsea requiring two injury-time goals to get over the line at Selhurst Park.
Furthermore, Chelsea have gone 14 league encounters on their travels without keeping a clean sheet, the most recent occurrence coming against Fulham on October 2.
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