The headline act of the Premier League’s final day, one of Nottingham Forest or Chelsea could be celebrating Champions League qualification following Sunday’s blockbuster battle at the City Ground.
The formula is simple for the Blues – win and they finish in the top five – but Forest will need other results to go their way if they are to take a seat at Europe’s top table in 2025-26.
Match preview
Any of the three continental competitions could still have a seat reserved for Nottingham Forest next season, as Nuno Espirito Santo‘s side will play in the Conference League at the very worst and could still force their way into the promised land of the UCL.
The Garibaldi had two of the stars of their season to thank for last weekend’s critical 2-1 victory over West Ham United, as Morgan Gibbs-White capitalised on an Alphonse Areola howler before Nikola Milenkovic flicked on Anthony Elanga‘s free kick in the second half.
Jarrod Bowen did reduce the arrears late on, but one fiery flare-up later, Nottingham Forest ended a miserable four-match winless streak across all competitions and put themselves right back in the mix for a coveted top-five finish in the Premier League table.
Beating Chelsea is one part of the task, but Santo’s team – who have 65 points – will then also need one of Newcastle United or Aston Villa – who have 66 points – to slip up against Everton and Manchester United respectively to qualify for the Champions League.
Cue the classic final-day images of fans nervously scrolling through their phones to check the scores elsewhere, but Forest can do nothing but focus on the task at hand as they seek a 20th Premier League win of the season, something they have never achieved in a 38-game campaign.
Also showing off 19 success from their opening 37 matches of the season, Chelsea need not rely on top-five rivals failing elsewhere this weekend, as the Blues’ current fifth-placed ranking means that their Champions League fate rests purely in their own hands.
The penultimate gameweek of the season saw the Blues clash with a Manchester United side pre-occupied with thoughts of a Europa League final, and while Enzo Maresca‘s side did not capitalise until deep into the second half, Marc Cucurella‘s header was all that was needed to see off the Red Devils.
That 1-0 success represented a sixth win from seven games for Chelsea, who are hitting a rich vein of form at just the right time with the Conference League final around the corner; the West London giants face Real Betis just three days after their trip to the City Ground.
However, the Blues have been flattering to deceive away from home for some time and have just one victory to show from their last 10 Premier League matches on the road, failing to score in six of those games and mustering just five strikes in total.
Chelsea also had to settle for a dramatic 1-1 draw with Santo’s side in October’s Stamford Bridge battle, but they triumphed 3-2 at the City Ground last year and could now secure back-to-back wins away to Forest for the first time in 103 years, thus earning their Champions League stars at the expense of their over-achieving hosts.
Team News
In classic Santo fashion, the Forest head coach was as tight-lipped as he could be in his press conference regarding team news, revealing that a few players were carrying bumps and bruises but refusing to elaborate.
However, Santo did confirm that Murillo had not trained since hurting his ankle in the win over West Ham, making him a major doubt for Sunday, but Taiwo Awoniyi is on the right path to recovery following his emergency surgery.
If the vital Murillo cannot shake off his blow in time for the weekend, compatriot Morato will step in alongside Milenkovic, while Callum Hudson-Odoi should return to the first XI as he seeks to deny his old club a top-five finish.
From former Chelsea attackers to current Blues forwards, Maresca is still coping without the banned Nicolas Jackson, but he confirmed a double boost in his pre-match press conference, revealing that Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu are both available again.
Either one could force their way into the frontline over teenage star Tyrique George, while Jadon Sancho is also back at Maresca’s disposal after being unable to face parent club Man United last Friday.
Wesley Fofana (thigh) and Omari Kellyman (thigh) are still on the treatment table, though, while Mykhaylo Mudryk continues to serve a provisional doping suspension.
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Dominguez, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwill, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Palmer, Neto; Nkunku
We say: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Chelsea
Now is not the time to be conservative; both sides must throw caution to the wind in their pursuits of Champions League football, but Chelsea’s attacking record on the road has left a lot to be desired.
However, Forest’s end-of-season form has hardly been inspiring either, and a settled Blues backline can hold out for a draw, one that may be enough for them but one that will officially crush the hosts’ dreams of Champions League participation.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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