Chelsea are set to welcome Nottingham Forest to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, September 2nd at 3pm (GMT).
The Blues were on TV last weekend as they beat Luton Town, also at the Bridge, with Raheem Sterling playing a starring role for Mauricio Pochettino’s men. Forest on the other hand, romped into a dramatically early 2-0 goal lead against Manchester United only for the Red Devils to rally and win the game 3-2.
Both sides have experienced mixed starts to the new season with Chelsea on four points and Forest not too far behind on three. A win for either side on the weekend would surely see them climb up the standings.
So, we at Football FanCast have taken a look at all that has gone on between these two sides.
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: Who has the better head-to-head record?
In spite of the rich history that Nottingham Forest boast, Chelsea’s modern brilliance has seen them dominate this fixture overall for years gone by. There isn't a lot in it though and there have been a sizable amount of draws previously.
Chelsea have enjoyed a lot of European success since the turn of the century with their two Champions League trophies being the jewel in that crown. They first lifted it in 2012 after beating Bayern Munich in the final before almost a decade later, prevailing in an all-English affair with Manchester City.
Nottingham Forest themselves have won that tournament twice and as a matter of fact, these triumphs came in back-to-back years. Brian Clough led Forest to European glory first on German soil and then, the following season, against a German side in the form of Hamburg. John Robertson scored the only game of the game in 1978-79 and then it was the first ever £1 million player, Trevor Francis, who found the back of the net in a 1-0 win next time around.
Chelsea wins 40 Draws 30 Nottingham Forest 25 Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: Who has more wins at Stamford Bridge?
Chelsea have only ever played their home games at Stamford Bridge which could come as a surprise to some given just how modern it looks. A lot of work has been done to it since the club’s inception in 1905 and it was actually in use prior to Chelsea’s playing days, courtesy of the London Athletic Club.
As would be expected, Chelsea have won a decent chunk of these meetings on home soil coming in at a win percentage of 56%.
Chelsea wins 28 Draws 15 Nottingham Forest wins 7 Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: Who has more wins at the City Ground?
In the mid to late 1800s, Nottingham Forest occupied quite a few different grounds until they landed at the City Ground in 1898. Ever since, that is where they have called home and perhaps a highlight for the stadium itself was the three Euro 96 games it played host too.
Matches at the City Ground between these two can go either way with all of the numbers hanging very much in the balance.
Chelsea wins 12 Draws 15 Nottingham Forest wins 18 Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: Who has the better cup record?
Remarkably, Nottingham Forest have never prevailed when these two sides have gone toe-to-toe in a cup meeting. Seven times, Chelsea have won the game whereas on two other occasions, they drew before winning the replay fixture.
Recently, this pair have been drawn together in the third round of the FA Cup rather a lot.
Chelsea wins
7
Draws
2
Nottingham Forest wins
0
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: How have the last 5 meetings played out?
Up until last season, Nottingham Forest had been absent from the English top-flight since the late 1990s meaning that these two clubs had been kept apart. That being said, there were a few cup meetings in this period as is reflected in these last five meetings.
13th May 2023- Chelsea 2-2 Nottingham Forest:
Something which is apparent from the two meetings between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest last season is just how poor the former were. It was a season to forget for the Blues and Forest made sure to capitalize on this.
When the pair crossed paths at Stamford Bridge in May, Chelsea were already well out of the European picture whilst another year of Premier League football was looking more and more likely for Forest. Raheem Sterling and Taiwo Awoniyi contributed a brace for either side with three of these goals coming in a ten-minute period.
1st January 2023- Nottingham Forest 1-1 Chelsea:
The new year began for these two teams with a clash at the City Ground and this also ended honours even. Sterling was again on the score sheet whilst it was former Tottenham Hotspur fullback Serge Aurier who retaliated for the home side.
5th January 2020- Chelsea 2-0 Nottingham Forest:
The most recent of the cup meetings between Chelsea and Forest took place in the January of 2020, as is always the time of year when the Premier League clubs enter the fray. Two forgotten names in that famous blue shirt were on target that day in the form of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ross Barkley.
5th January 2019- Chelsea 2-0 Nottingham Forest:
Two years in-a-row, on the exact same day, by the exact same score line, Chelsea eliminated Forest from the FA Cup in the third round. Hudson-Odoi assisted Spaniard Alvaro Morata twice in the second-half at the Bridge to give his side a winning start to the competition that year.
20th September 2017- Chelsea 5-1 Nottingham Forest:
Finally to another cup clash but this time, it is the EFL Cup. Kenedy and Charly Musonda, two players who hardly got a look in at Chelsea found the back of the net in this one-sided affair. Joining them amongst the goals for the Premier League outfit was Michy Batshuayi who hit Forest for a hat-trick.
Tendayi Darikwa’s 90th-minute strike was nothing more than a consolation and a personal prize for himself in this 5-1 drubbing.
Who has played for both Chelsea and Nottingham Forest?
Andrey Santos (Chelsea 2023-current; Nottingham Forest 2023-current)
What are the chances of a player having played for two clubs although not yet making an appearance for either just as they are about to go toe-to-toe. The chances are slim but it isn't possible as Andrey Santos has proven.
The Brazilian teenager signed for Chelsea in January only to be loaned back to Vasco da Gama and before he could make his debut for the London side this time around, he has joined Nottingham Forest for the season ahead.
Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea 2012-2017; Nottingham Forest 2013-2014)
Nathaniel Chalobah definitely did take the field for both clubs with the City Ground being one of a number of his destinations for loan spells away from Chelsea.
No matter how much talent he may possess, the curse of being a Cobham academy graduate as well as injuries have plagued him throughout his career and after spells with Watford and Fulham, he is now at West Bromwich Albion.
John Terry (Chelsea 1998-2017; Nottingham Forest 2000)
Mr. Chelsea himself John Terry was a shock find for someone who has worn the red and white of Nottingham Forest also.
Before going on to make over 500 appearances for the club, he went on loan to Forest in 2000. He of course won everything there is to win with his beloved Chelsea but is just as well known for his misdemeanors both on and off of the pitch.
What is Chelsea’s biggest victory over Nottingham Forest?
31st August 1925: Nottingham Forest 1-5 Chelsea
Cast your mind back 100 years give or take and you will arrive again at the City Ground, where Chelsea put the hosts to the sword for their biggest-ever winning margin in this fixture.
The scoreline was 5-1 which Chelsea repeated in the aforementioned League Cup victory, this one coming on the opening day of the 1925/26 Championship/Second Division season which ended with them just missing out on promotion.
What is Nottingham Forest’s biggest victory over Chelsea?
20th April 1991: Nottingham Forest 7-0 Chelsea
Nottingham Forest have hit Chelsea for six on numerous occasions and once, over 30 years ago, they even managed to reach seven heaven.
Towards the end of the 1990/91 season in the first division, Chelsea visited the City Ground and left with their tail between their legs. Amongst the scorers were some familiar faces as Nigel Clough scored once whilst Roy Keane and Stuart Pearce chipped in with braces.
Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: Key stats
This will be the 13th league meeting between the two clubs in the Premier League era Chelsea haven’t lost to Nottingham Forest in their last five meetings Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi is currently one of four players leading the Premier League scoring charts with 3 goals Chelsea vs Nottingham Forest: Famous fixture
19th January 2000- Chelsea 2-0 Nottingham Forest
There aren’t any meetings between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest that came in the Champions League final or had a Premier League title on the line, but there was this 2-0 win for the former in early 2000.
Chelsea lifted the FA Cup that year, beating Aston Villa in the final and prior to that, in the fourth round, goals from Leboeuf and Dennis Wise saw them advance beyond Forest.