Champions League race will go ‘all the way’ – but who will prevail?

Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of Nottingham Forest, stated that the quest for a Champions League spot will go “all the way” this year.

After losing to Brentford on Thursday, Forest’s top-five hopes were hampered by a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace on Monday.

Nuno is confident that his side can catch up with Forest but struggles to hold onto fourth and fifth place with Newcastle and Chelsea.

Nobody is out, they say. For certain, it’s going to go all the way,” Nuno told Sky Sports.

With favorable fixtures against relegated Leicester and 17th-placed West Ham before a potentially decisive meeting with Chelsea at the City Ground on May 25th, Forest will still have a top-five finish in its hands.

“These final few games will be like this,” the player said. Everyone is fighting for something, Nuno continued in the BBC Match of the Day. “Nervous games, tight games, everybody is fighting for something.”

“We must play with all this noise around us and adjust our reactions, read the game’s moments better, and make better decisions so the boys can settle in and play.”

Opta are less optimistic about Forest’s prospects, with statistics experts predicting that Newcastle and Chelsea will finish ahead of Nuno’s team, with Arsenal and Manchester City projected to take second and third.

With only four points available, the top five of the Premier League guaranteed a spot in the Champions League next season, keeping Manchester City third behind Aston Villa in seventh place.

Things may change in the final weeks of the campaign, but there will be at least eight Premier League teams competing in Europe next season, an increase from the usual seven.

Crystal Palace, who defeated Villa last weekend in the FA Cup semi-finals, could still qualify for Europe by defeating Manchester City in the final this month.

Liverpool (A), Newcastle (H), and Southampton (A) are at Arsenal.

Chelsea (H), Arsenal (A), and Everton (H) are at Newcastle.

Leicester (H), West Ham (A), and Chelsea (H) are Nottingham Forest.

Southampton (A), Bournemouth (H), and Fulham (A) are Manchester City.

Manchester United (H), Nottingham Forest (A), and Chelsea (A).

Aston Villa: Tottenham (H), Manchester United (A), and Bournemouth (A).

Aston Villa (H), Manchester City (A), and Leicester (H) are Bournemouth.

Brentford: Fulham (H), Fulham (H), and Wolves (A)

Wolves (A), Liverpool (H), and Tottenham (A) are at Brighton.

Eight to eleven Premier League teams will travel to Europe next season, depending on how things turn out this year.

Because of England’s better performance in Uefa’s coefficient rankings, at least five of those will play in the Champions League.

If Arsenal wins the Champions League and finishes outside the top five, which is a remote possibility, or even seven if that happens and Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League, that number could rise.

Next year, there are a maximum of three Premier League teams that could compete in the Europa League.

The FA Cup winners and the team that finished sixth are likely to take second place.

However, if the cup winners have already secured a place in Europe, they will face the next highest-placed team that has not yet qualified for Europe.

If Chelsea loses the Conference League and does not advance to the Champions League, a third place might be awarded.

A Premier League team will receive one Conference League spot.

Newcastle, the current host of the Carabao Cup, will win, but that could change if Eddie Howe’s side earns a place in the Champions League or the Europa League.

That appears likely given that Newcastle currently belongs to the top four.

Although this is highly unlikely, it might still occur.

Arsenal, Manchester United, or Tottenham would need to win the Champions League, and Chelsea would need to take the Conference League title, with all three winners having to finish outside the top six.