Enzo Maresca has been delighted with Chelsea's attacking prowess in the early weeks of his reign but says they have much to improve at the other end ahead of hosting Nottingham Forest. (More Football News)
Maresca has made a s𝓀trong start to life at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues unbeaten in five Premier League matches (four wins, one draw) since a matchday one defeat t👍o Manchester City.
No team's Premier League games have produced more goals than Chelsea's so far in 2024-25, with Maresca's men scoring 15 times and conceding seven.
Forest's games, meanwhile, have contained the fewest goals of any side in the top fliꦰght (11, six for anꦓd five against).
Chelsea edged another goalfest on Thursday as they beat Gent 4-2 in the Europa Conference League, leading Maresca to call for🔴 defens🦹ive improvements.
"I think we are performing very positively, especially in attack, it's go🦹ing very well sওo we are happy," Maresca said.
"As I said many times already, for sure there ar⛦e always things we can do better. We can attack better, we can defend much better.
"But the most important thing we can learn is that we cannot switch off. For their second goal, we saw that the game was alreadꦦy finished.
"If we want to take🐷 a step forward, even when you the game is almost finished, you have to continue and not give away another goal, but it was a good performance and result.
Forest, meanwhile, saw their unbeaten start to the caꦏmpaign halted by Fulham last time out, losing 1-0 in the absence of star midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White, who was suspended after being sent off at Bri🧸ghton one week earlier.
The England international has told BBC Sport he is working on controlling his temperament, saying: "If I'm at 70% or 60%𝔉 going into a game, I can't play like that.
"I have to be 150% all the time. I always have to be on it and I liᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚke the feeling of having control in a game.
"Sometimes when we're having none of th🍸e ball I get frustrated, but that's when the control comes in and to understand what the manager wants from this moment."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea – Cole Palmer
Palmer became the first player in Premier League history to score four times in the first half of a game as Chelsea beat Brighton𝔍 4-2 last week.
Since h💞is debut for Chelsea in September last year (a home defeat to Forest), Cole Palmer has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other player (43 – 28 goals, 15 assists).
Nottingham Forest – James Ward-Prowse
Forest may need some dead-ball magic if they are to earn a result, and speciali🅘st Ward-Prowse has a fine record ag🐟ainst the Blues.
Ward-Prowse has been involved in four goals in his last five Premier League starts against Chelsea (two goals, two assists), netting th♐e winner on his last start at Sta꧟mford Bridge with Southampton in April 2023.
MATCH PREDICTION – CHELSEA WIN
Forest won this exact fixture 1-0 last season – only once have they ever won consecutive away league games against ⭕Chelsea, doing so on their first two visits to Stamford Bridge in 1907 and 1908.
Indeed, Chelsea have won just one of their four Premier League meetings with Forest since the latter returned to the top-fli▨ght in 2022 (twಌo draws, one loss), though it was a 3-2 victory in the teams' last such game in May.
However, s✅ince their return to the competition, no team has lost more Premier League away games in London than Forest (10).
They have lost each of their last four♐ in the capital, conceding three or more goals each time, which will give an in-form Blues at🥂tack plenty of confidence.
Chelsea have won nine of their last 11 Premier League games (one draw, one defeat), net🃏ting at least twice in eight of those nine victories. Indeed, the Blues are the top scorers in the league this season (15) and also have the highest shot conversion rate (20.3%).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chelsea – 62.3%
Nottingham Forest – 17.8%
Draw – 19.8%
