New Year’s Day 2023 will see a clash between a team fending off relegation and one of the best in the Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea. We at Last Word on Football have put together a Chelsea Predicted lineup as the Blues aim to capitalise on their convincing victory against Bournemouth.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup vs Nottingham Forest on January 1
What Can We Expect From the Chelsea Lineup vs Nottingham Forest
While injuries continue to force changes, there are some names that we always expect to see on the team sheet. Thiago Silva, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Marc Cucurella, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Jorginho can all be expected to play some part in the game.
Read More: Mount Masterpiece – Chelsea Player Ratings vs Bournemouth for December 27
The biggest question is regarding the back line: will they operate as a back three that has become the norm lately, or will it be a back four that worked well against Bournemouth?
Chelsea Recent Form and Tactics
Since taking over at Stamford Bridge, Graham Potter has tinkered with his tactics quite a lot. We have seen something resembling a 4-2-3-1 used in midweek, a 3-4-3, and at one point a 3-4-1-2. This tinkering coincided with a shockingly poor run of results that saw the team lose three Premier League games on a bounce.
Read More: Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea Predictions and Best Odds for January 1
Chelsea Injuries to Consider
Sadly, Reece James went down injured in his comeback match against The Cherries. He joins Edouard Mendy and Wesley Fofana on the injured list. Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech may be ready to play after their World Cup campaigns but neither is a guarantee.
Chelsea Predicted Lineup
We expect a return to the three at the back to make up for James’ absence, allowing a wing back to have more attacking freedom:
GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga
CB – Thiago Silva
CB – Kalidou Koulibaly
CB – Trevoh Chalobah
LWB – Marc Cucurella
RWB – Cesar Azpilicueta
CM – Denis Zakaria
CM – Jorginho
AT – Mason Mount
AT – Kai Havertz
AT – Raheem Sterling
