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Pre-match listening: Myself, Barney Ronay and Jonathan Wilson were up pinch nan lark to subordinate Max Rushden and prime complete nan bones of nan play action successful nan latest section of our Football Weekly podcast. Warning: whitethorn incorporate middle-aged men bickering and 1 highly laboured beverage analogy.
Those teams: Vitor Pereira has channeled his soul Unai Emery and made eight changes to nan broadside that hit Aston Villa connected Thursday night. Morato, Nico Dominguez and Igor Jesus are nan only survivors arsenic a big of first squad regulars driblet to nan chair for a rest.
It’s a risky strategy that whitethorn beryllium to person backfired travel season’s end, but Pereira intelligibly feels his players person capable astir them to prime up nan points they request to debar relegation successful their remaining games, moreover if they suffer today. And let’s look it, fixed they are playing Chelsea-in-freefall, there’s each chance Forest won’t suffer today.
With Pedro Neto and Alejandro some absent from nan location squad, Jesse Derry comes into nan Chelsea broadside to make his afloat elder debut. The 18-year-old winger is nan boy of Shaun Derry, nan erstwhile Notts County, Crystal Palace and QPR legend. As expected, Reece James and Levi Colwill are connected nan Chelsea bench, wherever they will beryllium rubbing shoulders pinch Cole Palmer, who is not afloat fit.
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest line-ups
Chelsea: Sanchez, Gusto, Chalobah, Tosin, Cucurella, Caicedo, Lavia, Palmer, Derry, Fernandez, Joao Pedro.
Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Colwill, Fofana, James, Hato, Santos, Essugo, Delap.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Abbott, Morato, Jair Cunha, Netz, Yates, McAtee, Dominguez, Bakwa, Igor Jesus, Awoniyi.
Subs: Ortega, Williams, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Wood, Da Silva Moreira, Lucca, Hutchinson, Milenkovic.
Early squad news
Filip Jorgensen, Estavao Willian and Jamie Gittens stay sidelined but Chelsea could invited Reece James and Levi Colwill backmost into their matchday squad. Colwill is backmost from an ACL he suffered successful pre-season and has not played since nan Club World Cup final. “When someone’s had an wounded for that long, you person to beryllium patient,” said Calum McFarlane. “We conscionable request to negociate his minutes, not push him excessively much. We don’t want to consequence re‑injuring him, but he looks superb and he is successful a really bully place.”
Forest right-back Ola Aina limped retired of Thursday night’s Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa but whitethorn return this afternoon. At his pre-match property conference, Vitor Pereira was incapable to connection updates connected nan fittingness of Dan Ndoye, Ibrahim Sangare, Jair Cunha and Murillo. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Nicolo Savona, John Victor and Willy Boly are decidedly out.
Premier League: Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
Stamford Bridge hosts a high-stakes Bank Holiday conflict betwixt 2 sides suffering different end-of-season anxieties. Chelsea person an imminent FA Cup last to attraction connected but must triumph coming to extremity a singular five-match Premier League losing streak to support their already slim hopes of playing Champions League shot adjacent play alive.
Dragged backmost into a relegation conflict they hoped they’d escaped, Nottingham Forest presently find themselves betwixt 2 legs of a Europa League semi-final against Aston Villa. While nan lights of Villa Park beckon for Thursday’s 2nd leg, Forest cannot spend to return things easy this afternoon. Kick-off is astatine 3pm (BST) but we’ll person squad news and build-up successful nan meantime.
