What Nottingham Forest FFP appeal outcome means for Chelsea as Premier League statement released

Chelsea may have just been dealt a slight blow to their chances of defeating Nottingham Forest. Nuno Espirito Santo's side will welcome the Blues to the City Ground on Saturday afternoon as both sides hope to climb the Premier League table.

The west London outfit will be keen to pick up from where they left off on Sunday when they put five past West Ham. Chelsea have now leapfrogged Manchester United in the race for Europa League qualification, climbing into seventh place.

As for Forest, they enjoyed a 3-1 win over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Saturday, with Callum Hudson-Odoi netting twice. The Cobham graduate will be determined to show his former club what they're missing out on this weekend – even more so now than ever.

Forest have failed in their appeal against the four-point deduction handed to them for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules (PSR). An independent commission ruled that the club's losses last season exceeded the £61m threshold by £34.5m.

An official statement from the Premier League reads: «The club argued that the independent Commission committed an error in not treating its sale of a high-profile player shortly after the assessment period as a mitigating factor, and that it committed a further error in electing not to suspend some or all of the points deduction it imposed.

»Each of these grounds was rejected by the Appeal Board, which found the independent Commission was entitled to immediately impose the sanction it did. The four-point deduction will therefore remain in place."

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