Chelsea will face Nottingham Forest in the third round of match in the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. Chelsea were out of this competition in the fourth round in previous season by losing against West Ham. This season they will be eager to make a mark by winning this Cup. Though, they have to play a lot of matches this season. So, Antonio Conte must have to be cautious about the players to give them adequate rest and keep them in a fully match fit condition. Chelsea have a good squad this season which will surely allow Antonio Conte to rotate his players for the matches in different competitions. Chelsea have to play two back to back away games against Stoke City in the weekend in Premier League and Atletico Madrid in the midweek in Champions League.
So Conte has to make sure that his players do not get injured in the time of the congested fixtures.
In the previous match, Chelsea had drawn with Arsenal with 0-0 scoreline in the London Derby. David Luiz was shown a straight red card in the match and he would serve the suspension in this match of Carabao Cup and two Premier League matches. Pedro also received a knock in the ankle in that match.
They were looking quite weak against Arsenal after beating Qarabag FK 6-0 at home in the Champions League match. They will be looking to improve their performance against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup match to gain confidence for the upcoming matches in Premier League and Champions League.
Nottingham Forest are not in a very good form in the Championship. They are currently placed at 10th position in the league table with 12 points in their 8 matches so far. They are coming to Stamford Bridge after losing against Wolves on previous Saturday with a 2-1 margin.
Caroyal came from the bench and scored one goal to give them a hope of a comeback which they could not able to do at the end. The defense is not looking in a good shape as they are conceding more goals than they are scoring and this is probably the reason of their downfall. They would like to give a spirited performance at Stamford Bridge but beating Chelsea will surely be an uphill task for them.
Team News :
Chelsea :
Eden Hazard is expected to get a start on Wednesday for the first time in the season. Chelsea academy player Charley Musonda and Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi are expected to start along Hazard in the upfront for Chelsea. Timoue Bakayoko and Kyle Scott, another Chelsea youth will be expected to feature in the heart of the midfield. Kenedy and Zappacosta will start at two wingback position while Rudiger, Christensen and Clarke-Salter will be at the defense. Willy Caballero will also start the first game of the season in place of Thibaut Courtois at the Chelsea Goal on Wednesday against Nottingham Forest.
Danny Drinkwater will be absent from the squad till the next International break due to a sustained calf muscle injury and Pedro will also be rested after receiving a knock against Arsenal in the previous match.David Luiz is suspended for the match after receiving a red card against Arsenal.
Nottingham Forest :
Nottingham Forest are expected to start with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Murphy present as the lone striker in the upfront of the field. Brereton, Dowell and Mckay will play as attacking midfielders while Osborn and Bridcutt will try to block all the Chelsea attacks from the midfield. Worrall, Mills, Darikwa and Traore will feature in the defense for them while J.Smith is expected to start at Forest Goalkeeper. Caroyal may come as a substitute from bench to provide more attacking threats against Chelsea when needed.
My Predicted First Eleven :
Chelsea :(3-4-3)
Goalkeeper : Willy Caballero.
Defenders : Clarke-Salter, Christensen, Rudiger.
Midfielders : Kenedy, Bakayoko, Kyle Scott, Zappacosta.
Attackers : Musonda, Batshuayi, Hazard.
Nottingham Forest : (4-2-3-1)
Goalkeeper : Smith
Defenders : Worrall, Mills, Darikwa, Traore.
Midfielders : Bridcutt, Osborn, Brereton, Dowell, Mckay.
Attackers : Murphy.
My Score Prediction :
Chelsea 3-1 Nottingham Forest
