“The big blow” – Pundit looks at Chelsea’s final game of the season and UCL chances today | OneFootball

One pundit has been looking at Chelsea’s final league game of the season today and their Champions League qualification chances.

The Blues face Nottingham Forest this afternoon in what has become a Champions League Play Off game, at least an unofficial one. There are other clubs involved in these Play Offs as well and anything can happens. Chelsea just have to make sure they beat Forest in order to guarantee Champions League qualification. Their goal difference is far superior to that of Aston Villa, so even if they finish on the same points then it should be Chelsea who get through.

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Maresca speaks to the media

The Blues boss has faced the media in the pre-match press conference last week, and some of the quotes have been filtering through each day on the lead up to the big game.

He has already confirmed that he has attackers Marc Guiu and Christopher Nkunku back and available for the squad, which is a huge boost seeing as Nicolas Jackson is still suspended.

He has also snapped back at fickle critiques of his Chelsea team and how different it has been since Christmas time when they were second in the league.

Enzo Maresca on the touchline against Newcastle. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

Chelsea built for Champions League

Speaking to talkSPORT.com, pundit Martin Keown was asked whether it would be considered a positive season if the Blues triumphed in the Conference League, but missed out on a top five spot.

To which he said: “Goodness, I think they’re a Champions League club. We’ve grown with [Roman] Abramovich.

“We’ve seen 19 trophies in 21 years or whatever it was, it may have been the other way around.

“They are geared for Champions League football.

“It’s been a cancer if they win it [Conference League] this year.

“They’ve pretty well been the breeding ground for their youngsters, which has been good to see.

“For them, it’s about Champions League football.

“The big blow, down to ten men in Newcastle [in 2-0 defeat on May 11], that was a play-off game.

“That’s really opened things up because Chelsea will still feel that they can make it.”