The top five teams in the Premier League will get to play in the 2025-26 Champions League. Chelsea are currently occupying the No. 5 spot with 66 points. Nottingham Forest are at 65 points ahead of the final round of the Prem.
What this means is that if the Tricky Trees win on May 25, they will leapfrog Chelsea. Will they break into the Top 5, however, also depends on the outcome of other EPL games, most importantly, the Manchester United vs. Aston Villa game.
When it comes to Chelsea’s road to the Champions League, a win on Sunday would secure such a thing. Any other outcome would put Chelsea’s destiny into the hands of other teams.
Nottingham vs. Chelsea Odds
| Moneyline | Odds |
|---|---|
| Nottingham | +236 |
| Tie | +273 |
| Chelsea | +113 |
When, Where, and How to Watch?
- Place: The City Ground in Nottingham, England
- Date: Sunday, May 25, 2025
- Time: 11:00 a.m. ET
- How to Watch: Paramount+
Can Nottingham Get to UCL for The First Time Since 1981?
Nottingham Forest is the team that won two European Cups – the predecessor to the UEFA Champions League – back in 1979 and 1980. However, since then, the Tricky Trees have been absent from this competition.
Fast-forward to 2025, and they’ve got a chance to get back to Europe. For that to happen, however, they need to beat Chelsea on Sunday, May 25. Even that, however, isn’t a 100% guarantee that they’ll qualify for the UCL – Aston Villa can finish above them with a huge win over Manchester United. By “huge” we mean a win by at least five goals.
That’s unlikely to happen, which practically means that Nottingham’s European destiny is in their own hands. But the big question is whether they can beat Chelsea. Oddsmakers don’t think they can – they’re giving +225 on Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
However, these guys were the underdogs in the first duel with Chelsea as well. This was in October when Chelsea’s odds were -200, but the boys from Nottinghamshire managed to labor a 1:1 draw. This time, however, they’re in need of a win.
Bookies Favor Chelsea to Win on May 25
Even though Chelsea isn’t an odds-on favorite, this team is more likely to win than Nottingham – at least according to bookmakers. The reason is that Chelsea’s roster is almost twice the value of Nottingham’s.
The Blues have also been playing good soccer lately, winning six of their last seven games in all competitions. They haven’t been too impressive on the road, though. This goes especially when playing against tough opponents. For example, in their most recent away game, they lost to Newcastle 2:0.
But they do have relatively good memories from their trips to Nottingham. Since Nottingham returned to the Premier League in 2022, these two have met twice at the City Ground. Chelsea won once, while the other game ended in a tie.
Their third visit to City Ground in the 21st century will be their hardest challenge so far. It’s not just because the final-round game is of huge importance; it’s also because they’ll be without practically all of their central forwards – Nicolas Jackson (suspension), Christopher Nkunku (injury), and David Fofana (injury).
On the bright side, 19-year-old Spanish forward Marc Guiu has reportedly recovered from his muscle injury and could be included in the starting lineup.
Nottingham vs. Chelsea Prediction
This is a huge game for both teams, so expect both to give their best on May 25. It’s going to be an interesting game, but we think Chelsea will win in the end. The main reason is that Nottingham’s players just don’t do great in big matches.
The proof of this is that they have only one win against teams that are currently in the Top 5. The victory in question happened in the second round of the season when they shocked Liverpool at Anfield.
Pick: Chelsea