The New Year's Day Premier League action concludes with Chelsea visiting Nottingham Forest. Liam Kelly has a best bet for the game.
It was a contrasting return to action for Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, both in terms of performances on Tuesday and their own pre-World Cup displays.
Forest had shown signs of life before the break but put in a rather feeble effort against Manchester United at Old Trafford (xG: MUN 2.23 - 0.75 NFO), appearing as if the time to gel has had no upshot at all.
Chelsea, on the other hand, looked much-improved against an albeit poor Bournemouth side, proving to be a bigger scoring threat than they have previously this season.
Kick-off time: 16:30 GMT, Sunday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Main Event
There's no guarantee a corner has been turned by Graham Potter's side, but it was an encouraging performance from the Blues, and if their last game is anything to go by, Forest remain around a similar level as the likes of Bournemouth.
With that in mind, CHELSEA's price to win at the City ground — 7/10 with Sky Bet and bet365 — is very appealing.
Granted, the loss of Reece James will hurt Chelsea, a key cog in their machine, but besting a Forest team that allow an average of 1.89 expected goals against (xGA) per game is more than doable.
Kai Havertz looks to have locked down the sole striker role with an impressive display against Bournemouth, and both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic were sharp on the wing.
Another bet that makes sense considering the likely line-ups is RYAN YATES TO BE SHOWN A CARD. At a standout 4/1 with Sky Bet and Unibet (6/4 in places), his price is generous.
Yates averages 2.36 fouls per average match duration, consistently getting into duels on a game-by-game basis.
Although he wasn't booked against Manchester United, Yates committed two fouls and was involved in nine ground duels. Expect the midfielder to be in the thick of things again with Mason Mount drifting to Yates' usual starting side.
Nottingham Forest v Chelsea best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Chelsea to win at 7/10 (bet365)
- 0.5pts Ryan Yates to be shown a card at 4/1 (Sky Bet, Unibet)
Score prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-3 Chelsea (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Odds correct at 1715 GMT (29/12/22)
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