Premier League, Sunday, 25.05.2025 at 17:00
After the upcoming weekend, we will finally know for sure. Which Premier League teams will make it into the Champions League and which teams will have to settle for other competitions.
In the Nottingham Chelsea tip, I’m looking at two teams that still have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
Under the watchful eyes of the frenetic spectators at City Ground, Chelsea will score less than 1.5 goals – at least that’s my prediction. At Oddset, you can get 1.77 times your stake back for this bet.
There is no shortage of drama in the battle for the three remaining Champions League spots. A win would most likely be enough for the Blues to qualify for Europe’s premier competition next year.
To do so, however, the visitors will have to survive an intense afternoon against a direct rival. Merkur Bets is offering odds of 2.21 for a Chelsea win.
A win for the Tricky Trees is somewhat less likely, with odds of 3.07, but by no means out of the question. The odds comparison highlights that there are several possible outcomes in this match.
I would rather refrain from betting on a Chelsea win. The Blues have won only one of their last ten away games in the English top flight.
Since the turn of the year, Enzo Maresca’s players have collected only six out of a possible 24 points on the road. As a result, the Londoners have earned no more than eleventh place in the away table.
What’s more, the Blues don’t look nearly as hungry for goals away from their home ground at Stamford Bridge as they do at home. Chelsea have failed to score in six of their last ten PL away games.
Maresca’s players have recently lacked solutions far too often, especially against deep-lying teams. This is exactly the approach Nottingham are taking.
The Tricky Trees usually sit extremely deep and switch quickly after winning the ball. As a result, only Arsenal have allowed their opponents fewer big chances than the Garibaldi Reds (70).
Added to this is the frequency of clean sheets for Nuno Espirito Santos’ team. Apart from Liverpool (14), no other Premier League team has survived more games without conceding a goal than Nottingham (13).
The home side have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last seven Premier League games, but that’s precisely why there’s a buffer in the Nottingham Chelsea tip.
Furthermore, the home side are specialists in creating a favorable course of play. Nottingham have scored the first goal in 25 of their 37 Premier League games.
If the Tricky Trees once again shape this crucial encounter according to their own ideas, the Bwin betting bonus at odds of 1.95 for “Nottingham to win at least one half” is a good bet.
Whether the Blues players commit a foul or not, they would be wise to think twice. Nottingham is extremely dangerous from set pieces and has already scored 17 goals in such situations.
Chelsea also has a few creative solutions for its own offensive set pieces (11 goals), but cannot keep up with the level of the Garibaldi Reds.
In addition, Chelsea are wasting too many chances. 63 goals is a strong tally, but it is well below the expected number (68.10 xG).
Across the league, only four teams have scored significantly fewer goals than Chelsea (-5.1). In the worst case, this could prove fatal against Nottingham.
Nottingham will defend with heart and soul in this game and, thanks to the frenetic crowd, will feel like they have an extra player off the field.
The defensive work of Espirito Santos’s team is remarkable, and conceding only 45 goals is a sign of formidable organization (6th).
My Nottingham Chelsea prediction is: Chelsea under 1.5 goals.
