It is do or die for Chelsea when they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground this Sunday.
A win will see Enzo Maresca‘s side qualify for the Champions League, but a loss will result in them missing out on a place in the tournament.
It is not going to be an easy game, with Forest already holding Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at the start of the season.
Nuno Espirito Santo has also warned Maresca and his team that the City Ground is going to be “bouncing”.
Levi Colwill and Chelsea plan to limit Nottingham Forest’s counter-attacking threat
There is a lot on the line, but Chelsea defender Levi Colwill is up for the game and has shared how the team plan to approach it.
“It is effectively a final,” Colwill told Chelsea’s official website. “It will be a tough game, a tough atmosphere, but we know what we need to do. They are going to be a tough team to play against. We are going to have to work really hard to break them down, but when we do create chances we have to score them, and not give them any chance to counter-attack.
“They are going to push harder than they might normally because they have to win too, and we have to be smart and pick our moments when to exploit that, and times when to sit off and let them give us what they’ve got. We just have to find the balance to make sure we win the game.”
Forest have some really dangerous attacking players, such as Morgan Gibbs-White and former Blue Callum Hudson-Odoi.
It means Maresca’s side really will have to be wary of transitions, while Chris Wood could cause them problems throughout the game with his height and strength.
The 33-year-old has been among the goals this season, scoring 20 in 35 Premier League appearances.
As for Chelsea, Cole Palmer is their danger man, netting on 15 occasions in the current campaign. Palmer is “unsellable” and the best attacker Chelsea have, though his form has dipped during this second part of the season.
Pat Nevin’s warning to Enzo Maresca
Chelsea have another huge game after they play Forest: the Conference League final. The Blues face Real Betis, who will have an extra two days to prepare.
Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin, though, has warned Maresca not to even consider resting players against Forest for that fixture.
Nevin previewed Forest versus Chelsea, saying: “They need to give that game everything they’ve got in order to secure Champions League football. Apart from Nicolas Jackson, every other key player needs to be on the pitch in that game.”
It would be nice for Chelsea to win the Conference League. They would become the first team in history to have won Europe’s third tier competition, the Europa League and the Champions League.
But with the money involved, the club’s owners will want qualifying for the Champions League to be prioritised.
