Chelsea v Nottingham Forest LIVE: Latest score and goal updates from Premier League fixture today – UK Times

Here we go then, the players are out on the pitch on a mild October’s day in west London. Can Chelsea keep pace with the Premier League’s leading three?

“The big issue in football, finding the balance between work in both boxes. We are producing a lot of situations and we should be more clinical. I believe we will improve. We need to stick with our plan and stay compact.

“Very important to have [Morgan Gibbs-White] back, he is a special player for us. The team relies on him to produce things. I’m happy for him to be called up by England again.”

“Every game in the Premier League is tough. We’re well aware of their qualities and the form that they’re in but we’ve been good on the road so far and hopefully we can keep that up today.

“It’s always been a good place to play. It’s a famous stadium and a big club to play against. I’ve had some joy here before so hopefully I can keep that up in a Forest shirt.

“When you come to a big team like this, you know you’re going to need to have things go your way. It’s about using our strengths and limiting theirs.”

“Forest are a completely different team [compared to Brighton],” Palmer tells PLTV. “These like to sit back so we will have to try and break them down. They’re a good team, they’ve only lost one game so it will be hard. They’ve got quality up front and they’re well organised.

“I’ve watched the goals this week a few times, but it’s at the back of my mind now. It’s all about Forest. We’ve got confidence and we just have to try to keep winning.”

The manager said the team’s identity was clear after winning five consecutive games in all competitions with different starting lineups.

“For the first two months, there was a lot of noise around the club. Hopefully, we can continue with the way we are now,” Maresca said.

“I was not here last year. The only thing I can say is since we started, I like to be focused and in control. The only part I can control is the football side.

“All the noises around the club are something I cannot control, I don’t care about it. I’m already thinking about how we can prepare for the game.”

Chelsea are improving but the London side are not yet ready to compete with top Premier League clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal, manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.

Chelsea, who finished sixth last season to miss out on the Champions League and 12th in 2022-23, are fourth in the table with 13 points from six games.

Maresca replaced Mauricio Pochettino in June and was tasked with returning Chelsea to the Champions League which they last won in 2021.

“I don’t think we can compete with City and Arsenal. City have worked with the same manager for (nearly) nine years, Arsenal for five years,” Maresca said ahead of Sunday’s game against Nottingham Forest.

“If you want to compete, you need that time. It’s a huge difference. I am convinced we cannot compete. The target is to improve and to get close slowly. We are not at this moment ready for that.

“You can continue to improve but at the end, the more time you are together, the better it is.”

Fans are descending on Stamford Bridge, less than an hour before kick-off:

As expected, Maresca keeps the same XI who thrashed Brighton at Stamford Bridge last weekend, with Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku all on the bench.

Morgan Gibbs-White returns for Forest after a one-match suspension.

Sels; Aina, Murillo, Milenkovic, Moreno; Yates (C), Anderson, Ward-Prowse, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.

Subs: Miguel, Morato, Williams, Awoniyi, Dominguez, Jota, Elanga, Sosa, Boly.