The headlines on the final day of the Premier League will be about either Nottingham Forest or Chelsea celebrating qualification for the Champions League after a thrilling battle at the City Ground on Sunday. For the Blues, the formula is simple – win and finish in the top five – but if Forest are to take up a spot in Europe’s top league in 2025-26, they will need to achieve something else.

Nottingham Forest could still retain a spot in the three major continental competitions next season as Nuno Espirito Santo’s side will play in the English Football Association League at worst and could still make it to the promised land of the Champions League. The Garibaldi’s crucial 2-1 win over West Ham United last weekend was down to two of this season’s stars, with Morgan Gibbs-White capitalising on Alphonse Areola’s mistake and Nikola Milenkovic flicking home Anthony Ellanga’s free kick in the second half.

Jarrod Bowen did narrow the gap late on, but a fierce clash ensued and Nottingham Forest ended a miserable run of four straight defeats in all competitions and got back into contention for the top five in the Premier League. Beating Chelsea is part of the task, but Santo's side will also need either Newcastle United or Aston Villa to lose to Everton and Manchester United respectively to qualify for the Champions League. It was like a classic last-day scene of fans nervously checking their phones to check scores from other games, but Forest could only focus on the task at hand, aiming for their 20th Premier League win of the season, a feat they have never achieved in 38 games.

Chelsea have won 19 of their first 37 games of the season and they don't have to rely on their top five opponents failing in other games this weekend as the Blues are currently fifth, meaning their Champions League fate is entirely in their own hands. In the penultimate match of the season, the Blues took on a Manchester United side focused on the Europa League final, and although Enzo Maresca's side didn't take their chance until late in the second half, Marc Cucurella's header was enough to beat the Red Devils. The 1-0 win was Chelsea's sixth in seven games and they are in good form with a league final just around the corner; the west London giants will face Real Betis three days after their visit to the City Stadium. However, the Blues have struggled on the road for some time, winning just one of their last 10 Premier League away games, failing to score in six of those games and scoring just five goals in total.

Chelsea also had to settle for a dramatic 1-1 draw with Nuno Espirito Santo's side at Stamford Bridge in October, but having won 3-2 at the City Stadium last year, they could win back-to-back away victories over Forest for the first time in 103 years this year, earning a Champions League star at the expense of the overachieving home side.

Nottingham Forest predicted starting lineup:

Sells; Aina, Milenkovic, Morato, Williams; Domingos, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood

Chelsea predicted starting lineup:

Sanchez; James, Chalobah, Colwell, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madouque, Palmer, Neto; Nkunku