Chelsea vs. Forest: Predictions for a rather unmagical FA Cup opener

Chelsea open their fourth competition at home against Nottingham Forest. The Blues should not need any magic of the FA Cup to see themselves into the next round.

On the 11th day of Christmas the FA gave to me: a mishmash starting XI for a fifth-round FA Cup opener against Nottingham Forest. We wager Chelsea would rather have the day off than another festive match, but better to be in four competitions than out of one of them. Here are our predictions for the tie at Stamford Bridge.

Barrett Rouen: Chelsea 3 – 1 Nottingham Forest. I think Chelsea ultimately just have more ability here in the squad than is possible for Forest to match. The Blues still can’t really defend with any sense so Forest will score, but this is too big a test for them in the end.

Hugo Amaya: 1 – 0. A very Chelsea like performance! Almost all the possession and no real chances created. But, to their credit, the line up will be off considering the amount of injuries in the squad at the moment.

The opposition are going to to take advantage of this and try hit on the counter. But the difference in quality is too vast and the defenders will cope easily. The Blues will get the only goal of the match early in the second half and then, well, do nothing but pass the ball. Not much to take or learn from the game as Chelsea get the win.

Scott Brant: 2 – 0. I haven’t seen anything from Chelsea for weeks now that would tell me they are going to blow Nottingham Forest out of the water. It will probably be a goal in the first half and a goal in the second. I expect Ruben Loftus-Cheek to dominant the midfield, dictating a lot of the play. A goal for him and Alvaro Morata, who desperately needs to start building some confidence.

Kevin Peacock: 2 – 1. Tricky times at Chelsea. On the face of it, they are doing OK: still in the top four, through to the knockout stage of the Europa League and a League Cup semi-final double-header against Spurs on the horizon.

However, there’s a growing feeling that Maurizio Sarri may be out of his depth. The Italian needs a trophy for his CV and the coming week could make or break that ambition. Chelsea have fallen to lower league opposition at the Bridge before and, on current form, this will not be easy.

That said, Chelsea will be strong enough to overcome Forest but it won’t be pretty. Goals from Morata and Loftus-Cheek, and fond farewells from Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas.

Gabe Henderson: 3 – 1. By no means has Chelsea impressed anybody over the last few weeks. Injuries and unfortunate events have seen confidence shot down time and time again as we’re seemingly watching the uninspired play from the end of the Conte era.

However, the sparks that will motivate Chelsea in this match are going to be youth seizing the moment and veterans bidding farewell. Multiple players will take the field at the Bridge for their final time and will want to end on a high note. Expect some club legends to rise to the occasion and youth players to step up, as well, to give Chelsea a comfortable victory in a game dominated by Loftus-Cheek.

Tan Yi Hao: 2 – 0. Here’s a very concerning stat for you: for all of the “attacking football” Chelsea have been playing, the Blues have only scored 11 goals in their past 10 games. That is even lower than Mourinho’s last 10 games for Manchester United. This leaves me quite pessimistic for Chelsea’s game against Forest.

Chelsea will simply not be able to produce a seven goal performance like their North London counterparts yesterday in spite of their bulk of possession. Instead, they will barely scrap past their opponents with a narrow  win.

Abhishek Pancholi: 4 – 1. Despite all the doom and gloom caused by recent results, Chelsea will have enough in the tank to win this one comfortably. A few youngsters will finally get some much needed minutes, if only because the usual starters are injured. Expect goals from Alvaro Morata, Ross Barkley and Callum Hudson-Odoi, but prepare yourself for disappointment in the ‘fun’ stakes.

You never know which version of Sarrismo will turn up. The ugly, illegitimate spawn has been showing up more often.