Paul Merson has now shared his prediction for the Premier League clash between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea on Saturday.
Nuno Espirito Santo can guarantee survival if three points are secured at the City Ground and Luton fail to beat West Ham at the London Stadium, so motivation levels should be high within the squad.
In truth, survival can be secured even if the Blues beat the Reds and Luton fail to win – although it would not be mathematically sealed, as Luton could theoretically overturn the current goal difference gap of 11.
Ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, Paul Merson has now shared what he expects to happen at the City Ground…
Paul Merson expects a draw between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea
Well, Steve Cooper managed to oversee a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge back in September thanks to a strike from Anthony Elanga, and Merson expects Nottingham Forest to end the 2023/24 campaign without tasting defeat against Chelsea.
The 56-year-old wrote for Sportskeeda: “Todd Boehly praised Chelsea’s recent run of form in an interview earlier today but I don’t want that to cover over their cracks. They’ve been a bag of revels this season under Mauricio Pochettino – you never quite know what you’re going to get from them.
“Forest are decent at home and might not need anymore points to stay up if Luton don’t get a positive result. However, they are still fighting for safety and will be on their toes to add to their points tally, so I’m going for a draw. I like Raheem Sterling and still think he’s got lots to offer, but I don’t know how many takers he’ll have due to his wages. It’ll be interesting to see how his future pans out this summer.”
Merson then predicted a 2-2 draw.
History could repeat itself
Nobody expected Nottingham Forest to secure survival last season when Arsenal turned up at the City Ground in May, but that is exactly what happened as a strike from Taiwo Awoniyi secured a 1-0 win.
Now, while Chelsea are admittedly in a rich vein of form after a 5-0 victory over West Ham followed their 2-0 win against Tottenham, we are confident Nuno can get a result, after last week’s 3-1 win over Sheffield United lifted the mood significantly.
Furthermore, we also wouldn’t rule out Callum Hudson-Odoi haunting his old side, after scoring two excellent goals at Bramall Lane last week, a display which left Ryan Yates in awe.
Hopefully, Nottingham Forest can finally put an end to relegation fears on Saturday, after a very stressful 2024 so far.
The post Paul Merson has now predicted result of Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea appeared first on Nottingham Forest News.