Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. If you click links to other sites on this page, we will earn commission. 

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea prediction: Expect a stalemate in City Ground duel

Follow our football betting tips as Nottingham Forest take on Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday

Becky Ashton
Friday 23 May 2025 13:15 BST
Will Enzo Maresca lead Chelsea to a top five finish?
Will Enzo Maresca lead Chelsea to a top five finish? (Action Images/Reuters)

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea tips:

  • Both teams to score and draw - 10/3 Bet365
  • Cole Palmer to score at any time - 9/5 Unibet

It’s all to play for on the final day of the season for Nottingham Forest and Chelsea as they battle it out for the final Champions League place.

Chelsea are one of two teams on 66 points, alongside Newcastle and Aston Villa, while Forest are on 65 points, with just one game left to play.

The top five sides will qualify for next season’s Champions League, so the result at the City Ground could prove vital, but of course, it will also depend on other results.

In the other games on the final day Villa travel to Manchester United and Newcastle host Everton.

It would be harsh on Forest if they were to miss out on the top five after spending most of the season in the top three, but just two wins from their last seven games has seen them slip to seventh place and let other teams sneak in the back door.

Chelsea also looked a good bet for the top four, but a run of two wins in 10 from December to February saw them lose ground.

Four wins from the last five games, though, including over Fulham, Liverpool and Everton, means they now occupy fourth place.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea prediction: All to play for at the City Ground

Barring their recent form Forest have had an excellent season, especially after only just avoiding relegation back to the Championship last season.

They finished 17th last season with just 32 points but they have more than doubled that total this campaign and know a win would guarantee they would be playing in Europe next season - just which competition remains to be seen.

The two sides played out a 1-1draw earlier in the season when Noni Madueke cancelled out Chris Wood’s opener before James Ward-Prowse was sent off for the visitors.

How to watch logo

Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN

Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

How to watch logo

Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN

Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

That draw is one of three from their last five meetings, with both matches ending all square in the 2022/23 season.

Last season, Anthony Elanga scored the only goal of the game at Stamford Bridge as Forest ran out 1-0 winners, but Chelsea bounced back at the City Ground, coming from 2-1 down to win 3-2 thanks to late goals from Raheem Sterling and Nicolas Jackson.

Football betting sites have Chelsea as the favourites at 23/20 compared to Forest at 23/10, while a draw is 11/4.

Blues boss Enzo Maresca is adamant his side will be fully focused on Sunday’s game before they can then turn their attentions to the Europa Conference League final the following week, and they know they will have to be on their game to get the points they need.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea prediction 1: Both teams to score and draw - 10/3 Bet365

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea betting: Palmer to end the season on a high

Goals have come from all areas of the pitch for Chelsea this season, and they are the sixth highest scorers in the division with 63, which makes the fact that only two players have reached double figures all the more surprising.

Cole Palmer is the leading scorer with 15, while Jackson has 10, but he will miss Sunday’s match after being sent off in the first half of their recent 2-0 defeat at Newcastle.

As well as his 15 goals, Palmer also has eight assists so far from his 36 league appearances, but after scoring two in two in the first two games of 2025, he has only added one more goal to his tally this year. That goal came from the penalty spot in added time against Liverpool to give them the 3-1 win over the Champions.

Betting sites have the England star at 9/2 to score first or last and 9/5 to score at any time. He would love to add another to his tally on Sunday to ensure Chelsea are back in the Champions League next season.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea prediction 2: Palmer to score at any time - 9/5 Unibet

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea predicted line-ups

Please gamble responsibly

When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting on football can be addictive, so bettors should take precautions to keep themselves safe when using gambling sites.

Every licensed UK betting site should offer safer gambling tools, such as deposit limits, time outs, self-assessment questionnaires and self-exclusion options.

These are free tools to help punters stay in control and they are available at various gambling sites, including online bookmakers, casino sites, slot sites, and poker sites.

These operators may offer punters free bets or casino bonuses from time to time, but it's important to treat these rewards with caution.

Read the terms and conditions before accepting any bonus as most new casino sites will require you to place a cash bet before handing out the reward.

Always remember that betting is meant to be fun. It should never be viewed as a guaranteed way to make money.

If you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

We aim to offer every online gambler and reader of The Independent a safe and fair platform through unbiased reviews and offers from the UK’s best online gambling companies.

Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs. If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware or Gamcare.

Any offers or odds listed in this article are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Terms & Conditions apply to all offers.

GamstopBe Gamble AwareGamCare18+

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in