Game Week 38 Predictions: Will Forest stop Chelsea from going to the Champions League?

Nottingham Forest and Chelsea clash in a must-win Champions League race; both sides eye vital points with major European stakes on the line.

It's the game to watch this weekend without a doubt, Chelsea must win to avoid embarrassments but, Forest has it all to lose too so, it will be a fascinating game at the City Ground. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

 Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea

The City Ground

4:00pm

Without a doubt, this is the fixture everyone wants to watch. It is going to be fascinating to see how they both approach it; a draw could prove costly to both sides, so they must both go for it.

The ripples of Evangelos Marinakis storming the pitch to lash out at Nuno Espírito Santo after the Taiwo Awoniyi incident still reverberate. With Gary Neville banned from the City Ground as a pundit for his role in amplifying the incident, it goes to show how important this fixture is.

Chelsea leads Forest on the log by a solitary point, which means the Blues can play for a draw; however, it means Enzo Maresca’s side would need to pray for favours from the opponents of Newcastle United and Aston Villa, and with the latter away at Manchester United, you can’t bank on the Red Devils.

Forest has everything to play for. They’re already in Europe for the first time since the 80s, but the Champions League is the ultimate goal, and, should Forest beat Chelsea on Sunday, they just might make it if Villa and Newcastle don’t win too.

Failing to beat Leicester City is the reason a draw won’t be enough for Forest, and if you want to be playing in the best league in football, then you must be able to record big results to earn the big prize; they must go for it against Chelsea.

How will they both approach this? The Blues have a date against Real Betis in the Europa Conference League final, but that isn’t the only prize they want. The Conference League will only earn them a Europa League ticket, but beating Forest takes them to the Champions League; they know which is more important.

Watch out for Chris Wood and the high-flying Morgan Gibbs White for Forest; with former Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi back to full fitness, it will be tough for the Blues to keep him quiet, but they can’t afford not to.

Cole Palmer hasn’t been at the races for the best part of the second half of the season; if there’s one game in which he is highly needed to prove his worth, this is it, and should they fail to win, they would only have Europa football to play next season, which could impact transfers.

Verdict: Full-time draw