PREVIEW: Nottingham Forest face stern test against Chelsea amid Postecoglu pressure | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest host Chelsea on Saturday in what could be a crucial match for Ange Postecoglou.

Forest return to action seeking their first win under new boss Postecoglou, who took over in early September.

The home side are already on their second manager of the season so far after Nuto Espírito Santo was dismissed in September.

The Tricky Tees remain just above the relegation zone – sat 17th in the Premier League – and have won just once this season.

They were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Championship side Swansea City having been ahead 2-0 at half time, eventually losing 3-2.

The home side also suffered a 3-2 loss against Midtjylland in the Europa League earlier this month.

There are now concerns that there could be another change in the Forest dugout, with Postecoglou winless in his first seven games as manager.

Forest head into the match on the back of 2-0 loss against Newcastle united before the international break.

The Australian coach faces another stern test against Chelsea in a game which has almost become a must-win.

Chelsea, despite having a slow start to the season, head to the City Ground on a back of a 2-1 win against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in early October.

Enzo Maresca picked up a red card in the match against the current Premier League champions after joining his players to celebrate the dramatic 96th-minute winner from Estêvão.

So far, the Blues have won two matches, drawn twice and lost two in the Premier League and sit eighth in the table.

The squad will head into the match against Forest with confidence and will be eager to build from the epic win before the international break.

The previous meeting between the two saw Chelsea edge a 1-0 lead at the City Ground, with Levi Colwill scoring the only goal in the 50th minute.

The Blues have won three of their last matches against Forest at the City Ground and have never won three successive away games against the Reds.

Chelsea will be without star Cole Palmer for the remainder of the month after picking up a groin injury.

Their number 10 has only played four times for Chelsea in all competitions this season, but is expected to be out of action for weeks rather than months.

They will also be without Reece James after he withdrew from the England squad last week in pain and has pulled out as a precaution.

Liam Delap is also absent as he continues to recover from a hamstring problem that has kept him out since the end of August. Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández are also doubts.

Meanwhile, Forest are without Ola Aina, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Douglas Luiz.

Nottingham Forest have won just one of their last eight meetings against Chelsea, with their last victory over the blues in September 2023 at Stamford Bridge.

The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate in the United Kingdom with a kick-off time of 12:30pm BST.