Hall And Sterling To Start, Chilwell And Mudryk Out: Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Nottingham Forest

Chelsea interim boss Frank Lampard finally got his first win under his belt against Bournenmouth last weekend.

Although the 3-1 scoreline looks like it was a comfortable victory, it was anything but. Even so, Lampard will be hoping his players take some confidence from the match heading into the clash against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Steve Cooper’s side are on a high after beating Southampton in dramatic circumstances earlier this week, and they will undoubtedly be the team with more to play for at Stamford Bridge, as they try to secure Premier League safety.

Press the next page as we predict Chelsea’s starting lineup to take on Forest.

GK – Kepa Arrizabalaga

The Spaniard was pretty solid at the Vitality Stadium. While he did concede, the keeper could do nothing about Matias Vina’s superb strike.

Kepa did make a telling contribution, though, by stopping the same player from scoring a second at a crucial stage after the interval.

It’s quite surprising that Lampard has kept faith in the 28-year-old, considering that he was the manager who dropped the keeper during his first spell in charge, but it appears he has been won over by his performances.

RB – Trevoh Chalobah

It’s fair to say that the 23-year-old did struggle somewhat playing at fullback against the Cherries.

Chalobah didn’t really get forward from the right flank and, on the odd occasion he did, he was pretty ineffective, while the likes of Vina and Ryan Christie also exploited gaps on his side of the pitch.

With Cesar Azpilicueta also struggling for form, though, Lampard may opt to keep faith with Chalobah against Forest.

CB – Thiago Silva

The Brazilian had one of his rare off days at the Vitality Stadium last weekend. He was partially to blame for Vina’s goal.

Silva tried to push up before the rest of the backline, leaving Vina with a huge gap to exploit behind him before the fullback scored his goal.

There have been a couple of instances in recent weeks where the 38-year-old has been too keen to play a high line and it has cost his team goals. Hopefully, we won’t see any more of that this weekend.

CB – Benoit Badiashile

Wesley Fofana’s hamstring injury led to his fellow Frenchman getting a recall against Bournemouth, and the 22-year-old took his opportunity with both hands.

Badiashile was very confident in possession, either when passing or carrying the ball forward into midfield areas.

The centre-back showed that he is a threat from set-pieces as well, coming up with a crucial goal. He will be hoping to keep his place on Saturday.

LB – Lewis Hall

Ben Chilwell’s s form has started to dip markedly without competition for his place in the starting lineup.

With the 26-year-old having been substituted last weekend due to a suspected hamstring problem, though, it may be time for Hall to get another chance.

The teenager is still a raw talent but the Forest game may well be a good opportunity to reintroduce him into the first team.

CM – N’Golo Kante

The Frenchman had a pretty productive afternoon versus the Cherries, providing an excellent cross for Conor Gallagher’s goal just ten minutes into the match.

Kante doesn’t provide many assists, to say the least. That was only his 16th in 269 appearances for the Blues.

The 32-year-old’s all-round performance was pretty impressive too, making a notable run when he nutmegged two players, as well as breaking up play and giving his team a platform to start attacks.

CM – Enzo Fernandez

It was another mixed bag from the Argentinian international against Bournemouth, who looked comfortable in possession but struggled when asked to perform his defensive duties.

As plenty of pundits and fans have pointed out, Fernandez is simply not suited to playing the no.6 role and he needs to play further forward to get the best out of him.

From the looks of things, though, Lampard will continue using the midfielder as an anchor man for the remaining fixtures.

CM – Conor Gallagher

The England international scored the opener at the Vitality Stadium but he also had a good game in general.

Gallagher likes to get stuck in, which can’t be said for every player in Chelsea’s team, and he is also enthusiastic when trying to make things happen on the ball.

Technically, the 23-year-old isn’t always the greatest, and you do wonder whether he has a long-term future at the club.

RW – Noni Madueke

The winger has been Chelsea’s most dangerous attacking player since he was introduced into the starting lineup by Lampard.

Madueke was a big threat down Bournemouth’s left flank, but it was disappointing that he couldn’t produce a final ball.

The 21-year-old can be forgiven for some poor decision making and you would back him to improve with more experience.

CF – Kai Havertz

Joao Felix replaced the German with six minutes left last week, and almost immediately got on the scoresheet.

However, Lampard has expressed his reservations about playing him as a centre-forward so the Portuguese international may find himself back on the bench against Forest.

With Havertz, fans know what they will get. He may not always turn up but he’s the only real option to lead the line at the moment.

LW – Raheem Sterling

Mykhailo Mudryk continues to struggle and, while his pace did cause Bournemouth some problems, there was no end product and it wasn’t a surprise when he was hooked after the hour mark.

Sterling hasn’t exactly been in great form himself, but his mazy run did lead to Felix scoring the third goal.

Hopefully, he can take confidence from that, and produce another good display if he starts versus Forest on Saturday.