E.ON Spotlight: Forest vs Chelsea

Nottingham Forest return to Premier League action tomorrow afternoon against Chelsea at The City Ground. Here, we take a look at everything you need to know about the two sides heading into the fixture...

FIXTURE DETAILS

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea
Premier League
The City Ground
Sunday 1 January, 16:30 GMT

Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistants: Eddie Smart, Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Andre Marriner

HEAD COACH'S VIEW

Head Coach Steve Cooper spoke to the media this week to preview our return to top-flight action.

"We'll be really clear with our game plan, we're at home and we know the level of atmosphere that our supporters can create for us. We've got to try and thrive off that and give the supporters something to shout about.

"We need to think about what we've done well at home and why we've done well, and do whatever it takes to try and recreate that and improve on it. We love playing at home and there's no guarantees, so we've got to be ready."

Supporters can watch the full pre-match press conference here.

LAST TIME OUT

We last faced Chelsea at The City Ground on 20 February 1999 as the visitors won 3-1 on Trentside following goals from Mikael Forssell and Bjarne Goldbaek (2), Pierre van Hooijdonk was on target for The Reds.

Forest were last victorious against The Blues in January 1997, Stuart Pearce and Chris Bart-Williams on the scoresheet.

RECENT FORM

Graham Potter's side currently sit eighth in the Premier League table after picking up all three points against Bournemouth on Tuesday evening, with Kai Havertz and Mason Mount on target at Stamford Bridge. 

The side from West London are captained by Spain international defender César Azpilicueta, while Havertz leads their goalscoring charts with five goals in all competitions.

Meanwhile, The Reds will be looking to bounce back after Tuesday's 3-0 Premier League defeat at Old Trafford.

Forest sit 19th in the league table, but a win on Sunday could see Cooper's men move out of the bottom three depending on results elsewhere.

PLAYED FOR BOTH: JOHN TERRY

Terry joined Forest on loan in 2000, making six appearances in the Garibaldi after making his debut as a second half substitute against Charlton in a 1-1 draw. The Reds were unbeaten in the league during his short spell with the club.

The defender would then return to Chelsea and become captain, playing a further 17 years for the Stamford Bridge side before moving to Aston Villa in 2017.

During his career with The Blues, Terry would establish himself as a Club legend and won a host of major honours, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2012.