Despite all of the criticism that Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson received last season, his debut campaign in England was not a bad one.
In the 35 Premier League games that Nicolas Jackson played, the 23-year-old managed to score 14 goals and provide five assists. Without him, Chelsea would not have finished in the European football places.
Fast forward to now, and Jackson is already on nine goals. He should easily match last term’s tally.
In fact, former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has tipped the forward to do even better than that, and the Blues’ game against Ipswich Town on Monday should help him move a step closer to proving Nevin right.
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Pat Nevin predicted Nicolas Jackson to score 20 Premier League goals for Chelsea
Jackson started this season really strongly. Back in September, he scored an impressive brace in Chelsea’s 3-0 win against West Ham United.
Speaking after the game, Nevin backed Jackson to reach the 20-goal mark in the Premier League by the end of the campaign.
Nevin discussed both Chelsea’s midfield and Jackson, saying: “Considering Chelsea’s midfield creativity, with his speed and just average finishing, Jackson could top 20 league goals this season, the accepted bar for a top striker on form.”
Since that game, the former Villarreal man has gone on to score five more times for Enzo Maresca‘s side, and he has a great chance to add to his tally on Monday.
Ipswich Town have one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League
If Chelsea’s creative players can get things right at Portman Road, then Jackson could end up having a field day.
They have not performed too badly for a newly-promoted side with their kind of resources, with Kieran McKenna’s men just three points away from 17th.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 17 |  WolvesWolves | 18 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 29 | 40 | -11 | 15 |
| 18 |  LeicesterLeicester | 18 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 22 | 40 | -18 | 14 |
| 19 |  IpswichIpswich | 18 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 33 | -17 | 12 |
| 20 |  SouthamptonSouthampton | 18 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 11 | 37 | -26 | 6 |
However, defensively, there is a lot of room for improvement. Ipswich have kept just one clean sheet so far and have conceded 33 goals. Only Southampton (39), Leicester City (40) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (44) have been breached more times.
Jackson, then, could have a good opportunity to grab himself a couple of goals and move closer to reaching that 20-goal mark.
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