Nottingham Forest and the Champions League dream

The fierce competition in the Northwest region is of particular interest to English fans, not only because of the strong aspirations of both Nottingham Forest and Chelsea. In exactly 1 week, Chelsea will compete in the UEFA Conference League final, but at present, "The Blues" are only focused on the goal of winning all 3 points in the final match of the Premier League.

Exciting race for Top 5

In theory, the away team Chelsea has the advantage as they are currently ranked 5th on the table, meaning they only need to win to complete the task without having to care about other results. Nottingham Forest is only 1 point behind their opponent but is ranked 2 places below, meaning they have to beat Chelsea and wait for Newcastle or Aston Villa to stumble in order to hope to be in the top 5.

The strengths and weaknesses exposed make this match even more unpredictable. Chelsea played quite impressively at the end of the season with 6/7 recent wins. However, they only won against opponents who had no goals, and against a strong team like Newcastle, Chelsea had to lose 0-2.

As the season progressed, Chelsea's weaknesses became more apparent, with their attacking play being criticized as poor. In the win over Man United last weekend, Chelsea's only goal came from a surprising combination between full-backs Reece James and Marc Cucurella, while strikers Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Pedro Neto remained "silent".

Unable to rely on the return of striker Nicolas Jackson, Chelsea still hopes Jadon Sancho will be back in time while the duo Christopher Nkunku and Marc Guiu are ready to return to support Palmer or Madueke on the attacking front.

The Nottingham Forest - Chelsea match is the focus of the race for the Top 5 of the English Premier League. (Photo: AP - Graphics: VE LOAN)

Home advantage

With a 2-1 win over West Ham in the previous round, Nottingham Forest truly revived their European dream after a series of 4 draws and losses. The current 7th position guarantees coach Nuno Santo's team a place in 3 European cups next season, but Nottingham Forest still wants to set foot back in the prestigious Champions League arena.

Nottingham Forest are considered a rather puzzling case as they are the only team to have won more European Cups than domestic titles; they are also the only team to have won the C1 Cup/Champions League twice in a row but have spent the next 3 decades playing in the lower divisions, including a few struggling seasons in League One!

To stay in the Top 5 after the Premier League ends, Nottingham Forest must win against Chelsea and hope that other opponents stumble. Although this is a difficult "scenario", in football, nothing is impossible once the team at City Ground has enough desire and determination.

Nottingham Forest's style of play is quite simple, focusing mainly on tight defense and quick counterattacks. Any opponent knows Nottingham Forest's "secret weapon" but it is not easy to stop coach Nuno Santo's team. Not to mention that the City Ground home ground has always been a solid support for the "dark horse" of this year's season.

According to expert Mark Hughton, Nottingham Forest have defeated Man City, Aston Villa or drawn with Arsenal, Liverpool at City Ground, so Chelsea must pay special attention to this detail in the context of "The Blues" always playing inconsistently when away from London. In the last 20 home matches, Nottingham Forest lost 4 but won 10 matches.

Waiting for surprises at City Ground

New Zealand striker Chris Wood scored the most goals for Nottingham Forest (20 goals) but experts said Anthony Elanga was the player to watch in the "Top 5 final". The Swedish winger scored 6 goals and had 11 assists, and played extremely well in the final stages of the season, with his goal against his "old friend" Man United confirming the progress of this 23-year-old.

Elanga looks forward to a confrontation on the left flank with Marc Cucurella - Chelsea's most consistent player and a threat to many teams' strikers. If this "hot spot" is resolved, Elanga will have more opportunities to participate in crosses or create set pieces for the effective aerial duels that have become Nottingham Forest's "trademark" this season.

The battle between the goalkeepers is also worth watching. Matz Sels is aiming for his 14th clean sheet this season, enough to compete with Arsenal's David Raya for the Golden Glove. Chelsea's lackluster strikers are an opportunity for Matz Sels and Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea have the right to decide their own fate, but Nottingham Forest are expected to earn at least a draw, and may even surprise the "The Blues" who are rated higher in many aspects. Will there be a surprising ending to the final day of the Premier League?

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nottingham-forest-va-giac-mo-champions-league-196250524214126118.htm