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25 min: … and then when the corner’s finally sent in, Milenkovic is penalised for clattering into Adarabioyo. What a waste of everyone's time.
24 min: Before the corner can be taken, Fernandez needs a little bit of treatment. He’s fine to continue. Before Elanga takes, there’s a bout of over-enthusiastic wrestling, and the referee whistles so he can deliver the what-for.
23 min: Elanga crosses low and hard from the right. Dominguez can’t connect at the near post. The ball’s half-cleared, and Aina crosses from the right this time. Wood’s sheer presence forces Colwill into heading behind for a Forest corner.
21 min: Neto brushes Williams off the ball with ease down the right. He reaches the byline only for his cross to be harmlessly deflected into the arms of Sels. Williams thinks he was fouled, and he might have had a point, Neto shoving him in the back. Had that led to a goal, VAR would have had a decision to make. But we’re all good. Nothing to see here.
19 min: Colwill skittles Elanga out on the left and it’s a free kick, a chance for Forest to load the Chelsea box. Anderson floats it long, but Murillo is caught offside. Neither keeper has had any serious work to do yet.
18 min: Neto dribbles hard down the left but nobody in blue keeps up with him and there’s nowhere to go.
16 min: Forest are launching all of their attacks down the right. Aina sends a cross in. Wood flicks on to nobody in particular. Sanchez claims.
14 min: Madueke dribbles infield purposefully from the right again. He makes himself some space to shoot on the edge of the D only to slip before he can pull the trigger.
13 min: Madueke zips in elegantly from the right before slipping Fernandez into space on the overlap. The ball’s fizzed through the Forest six-yard box but Sancho can’t get anywhere near it. Both teams looking lively.
12 min: … and from that throw, Elanga crosses long again, but can’t find Milenkovic at the far stick. Goal kick.
11 min: Forest have started this match brightly. Aina makes another run down the right, causing Cucurella to come across and batter the ball out of play for a throw.
9 min: Dominguez plays a cute pass down the right channel to release Aina into the Chelsea box. Aina’s cutback is clanked out of play by Colwill for another Forest corner. The set piece is dealt with easily enough by the away defence, and Neto tries to launch a counter down the right, but his run comes to nothing.
8 min: Fernandez tries to find Sancho on the left with an ambitious crossfield pass but only manages in airmailing the ball into the stand. That amused the home fans, if nothing else.
6 min: Elanga looks to be in a determined mood. Now he swings a cross in from his flank. Dominguez prepares to meet it at the far post, but Cucurella stoops to head clear. A nice breezy start to this game.
5 min: Elanga comes again and wins Forest’s first corner down the right. He takes it himself and fails to beat the first man. He’s got the good grace to apologise to his team-mates.
4 min: Gibbs-White barges his way down the inside-left channel … but James makes up ground and barges him off the ball. Elanga picks up the loose ball and tries to keep things going but Cucurella gets in the road and puts a stop to his gallop.
2 min: Chelsea are on the front foot quickly, though, and Palmer wins a corner down the left. It’s played short before being swung in, and it causes no danger to the hosts. What an atmosphere, though!
A quick blast of Mull of Kintyre … a banner of a road-sign that points the way to Destination: Europe … another with a Forest van heading in that direction … the taking of the knee, because this sport and our love is for everyone … then Forest get the ball rolling. What an atmosphere!
The teams are out! The City Ground roaring. Some atmosphere. Cloughie would be proud. Forest in Garibaldi red, Chelsea in royal blue. Now there’s a contrast of worldviews. We’ll be off in a couple of minutes!
Nuno Espírito Santo also speaks to Sky Sports. “We are determined to play a good game … enjoy but competing well, that’s the priority … be a good team … compact … brave … dominant … a team that plays good! … it will be very hard [not to follow other results] but that would be perfect … stick to the task … ignore what is going on outside … that is not the reality so we have to try to shield the team … the energy of the crowd … put it onto the pitch so we can together enjoy the game.”
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca talks to Sky Sports. “The focus on us has to be the main target … it depends on us … play the game … do the things we have done all season … try to win the game … at this stage we have the privilege that it depends on us … we do not need to watch the other ones … nobody on the bench with a mobile … [qualification for the Champions League] would be a huge boost … we have been there all season … hopefully we can have a nice day.”
The equation is simple for Nottingham Forest. They have to win if they’re to have any chance of competing for Old Big Ears for the first time since the days of Old Big ‘Ead. Even then, they’ll require either Newcastle United or Aston Villa to fail to win. A draw could be enough for Chelsea, but they’d be banking on Newcastle losing at home to Everton or Villa failing to win at Manchester United. A win will see Chelsea right no matter what, thanks to their superior goal difference over Villa (unless Unai Emery’s side break their club-record win of 13-0 against Wednesdbury Old Athletic in the first round of the FA Cup in 1886, but let’s cross that bridge when we come to it). Defeat for Chelsea and they are jiggered.
Nottingham Forest are in If It Ain’t Broke Mode. They won their last game 2-1 at West Ham United, so name exactly the same starting XI.
Chelsea won their last game too, 1-0 at home to Manchester United. They make one change, though, Jadon Sancho returning at the expense of Tyrique George, who drops to the bench.
The teams
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Dominguez, Sangare, Anderson, Gibbs-White, Wood, Elanga.
Subs: Carlos Miguel, Morato, Hudson-Odoi, Toffolo, Jota Silva, Yates, Sosa, Danilo, Boly.
Chelsea: Sanchez, James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella, Fernandez, Caicedo, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Pedro Neto.
Subs: Jorgensen, Badiashile, Dewsbury-Hall, Chalobah, Gusto, George, Acheampong, Guiu, Lavia.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Preamble
Kick off is at 4pm BST. It’s on!
