Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea LIVE: Premier League match stream, latest score and goal updates | OneFootball

Both sides still firmly in the hunt for a Champions League place heading into the final day

Up front: Pedro Neto leads the line for Chelsea

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Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea - LIVE!

The Champions League hopes of Nottingham Forest and Chelsea have come down to the final 90 minutes of the season at the City Ground. No Premier League match has more riding on it this afternoon, with Chelsea knowing three points would secure their place at Europe’s top table next season, while Forest need a victory and favours from elsewhere if they are to qualify.

The equation for Chelsea is simple - win and they will be back in the Champions League. They have a Conference League final to come in midweek but the full focus will be on this match, with it crucial that the club return to the top tier of European competition for the first time since the 2022/23 season. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below, featuring expert analysis from Malik Ouzia at the ground!

Live updates

3 minutes ago

Malik Ouzia at the City Ground

Will Pedro Neto deliver for the Blues?

12 minutes ago

What do Nottingham Forest need?

At one point it seemed Nottingham Forest were nailed on for Champions League qualification, but a dip in form at the worst possible stage of the season sees them start the day outside of the top-five.

Just like Aston Villa, they have to win and hope for a favour - or two - from elsewhere.

Beating Chelsea at home would only be half of the job as they would need one of Newcastle or Villa to not win their respective fixtures.

A draw would only be enough for a top-five finish if Villa lose and Newcastle also lose to Everton by at least 10 goals.

I would suggest the Magpies won’t be losing by that margin...

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20 minutes ago

Maresca looking for his own Gronkjaer

Such is Chelsea’s youth recruitment policy that few of their first-team players probably recall Jesper Gronkjaer’s butterfly wing flap of a goal against Liverpool in 2003.

Their manager, Enzo Maresca, though, knows it well: “Claudio [Ranieiri] was manager, no?” he nodded on Friday.

Gronkjaer’s famous winner secured Champions League football and rapidly set in motion the chain of events that would turn the Blues from a club in danger of financial ruin into the wealthy behemoth that conquered all during Roman Abramovich’s reign.

The split stakes are not quite so extreme ahead of Sunday’s final day trip to Nottingham Forest, but they are hefty nonetheless.

Win and Chelsea will return to the Champions League after a two-year absence, making a success of Maresca’s debut season, opening doors in this summer’s transfer market and giving the Todd Boehly-Clearlake era perhaps its first concrete proof of progress on-field. Fail to do so, and unless unlikely favours are forthcoming elsewhere, each of those outcomes will be reversed.

Little wonder, then, that Maresca is looking for a Gronkjaer of his own.

Read our full preview here!

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30 minutes ago

Hosts have arrived!

Plenty of smiles in the Nottingham Forest camp.

They’ve already secured European football, now it’s time to see if they can qualify for the Champions League.

If they beat Chelsea and either Newcastle or Aston Villa drop points this afternoon, Forest will do just that.

37 minutes ago

Maresca sends clear Fernandez message

Enzo Maresca insists Enzo Fernandez is going nowhere amid links with Real Madrid - and says the Argentine will be even better next season.

After a slow start to the campaign in which he struggled to nail down a regular first-team shirt, Fernandez has emerged as one of Maresca’s key men.

The 24-year-old registered seven goals and 13 assists across all competitions and forged a fine midfield partnership with Moises Caicedo that has helped steer Chelsea to the brink of the Champions League.

Fernandez signed for Chelsea in January 2023 and still has seven years to run on his contract, but has reportedly emerged as a target for Real Madrid as incoming manager Xabi Alonso seeks to reshape his midfield.

“Enzo is a main player for us, one of the captains, one of the leaders,” Maresca said, when asked about those reports. “This season he has been very, very good. He can be even better next season starting from the first day.

Pressed on whether Fernandez would be staying at the club this summer, he replied: “Yes”.

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46 minutes ago

Neto up front

As we suspected, it’s Pedro Neto leading the line for Chelsea this afternoon.

Marc Guiu is back on the bench, but no Christopher Nkunku in the squad despite Enzo Maresca suggesting he was fit and available.

Reece James at right-back, Romeo Lavia among the substitutes.

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51 minutes ago

Nottingham Forest team news

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Elanga, Wood

Subs: Miguel, Morato, Hudson-Odoi, Toffolo, Jota, Yates, Sosa, Danilo, Boly.

53 minutes ago

Chelsea team news

Chelsea XI: Sanchez, James, Adarabioyo, Colwill, Cucurella, Caicedo, Enzo, Madueke, Palmer, Sancho, Neto

Subs: Jorgensen, Acheampong, Badiashile, Chalobah, Gusto, Lavia, Dewsbury-Hall, George, Guiu

1 hour ago

Stand by...

All the team news from the City Ground coming up in the next five minutes.

How Enzo Maresca opts to line up in attack is the big uncertainty for now...

1 hour ago

Maresca admits top-five frustration

Enzo Maresca is “frustrated” that Chelsea’s Champions League fate remains in the balance, claiming data proves his side already “did enough” to secure a top-five finish.

Only the top two have a better defensive record than Chelsea, but Maresca’s team have scored the fewest goals of the current top five and missed more big chances - 81 - than any Premier League side bar Liverpool.

The upshot is that they still need three points away to Nottingham Forest to guarantee a return to Europe’s top competition.

That is in odd contrast with London rivals Tottenham, who are 12 places behind Chelsea but go into the final weekend already assured of Champions League football after winning the Europa League in midweek.

“I feel frustrated, not because of Tottenham,” he said. “I feel frustrated because if you see the data, we are the first or second club in creating chances.

“I’m not thinking about Tottenham. If they’re going to play Champions League next season, it’s because they have done something good, winning the Europa League.

“The frustration is more because I think overall we did enough to finish top four or top five. The numbers are there, offensively and defensively. We are the third-best defence in the league, but we have the risk of not finishing in the top four or top five.”

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