Nottingham Forest are getting more and more closer to the finishing line in their long awaited wait to qualify for the Uefa Champions League next season if they do not mess up too much of their upcoming matches until the season ends. Pressure are surely pilling up for Nottingham Forest after they lost their previous away match against Aston Villa, playing against Everton will not be easy for Nottingham Forest but since Nottingham Forest are having the home advantage in this upcoming match, I guess there is a high chance for Nottingham Forest to beat Everton at the final whistle.
I will choose Nottingham Forest in the match against Everton, and the 2-1 defeat in the match as an away team against Aston Villa will not be a benchmark for Nottingham Forest because in the previous match Everton was defeated by Nottingham Forest with a score of 0-2 without reply at Everton's home.
And I think Nottingham Forest is in a very safe position to get a ticket to the UCL next season because in the remaining matches Nottingham Forest will face a team that was defeated, and certainly Nottingham Forest will maintain its position which is currently in third place in the standings and will try to continue to move away from Chelsea who is currently in fourth place which is only four points away from Nottingham Forest.
Love the Forest pick. Indeed, they managed Everton 2-0 at Goodison like experts. That one became a master class in counterattacking economy thanks to Wood & Gibbs-White. Even without possession (36% of the time), Forest were dominant in that game. Respect
But since that game, the cracks are showing. Two goals given up versus Villa within fifteen minutes. Both Neco and Morato were sleeping. And Forest performed over their xG by +12.5. That's huge. They are finishing excellent, so they are flying high. But how long does that last when your top 3 forwards (Wood, Awoniyi, Elanga) are in the physio's office?
The underdog story interests to me. However, Chelsea's xG, xGA, and xGD are superior. Forest still has to play them last game of the season; they lurk. Forest is in third right now, but unless they execute another miracle run with their B-squad, that third place's fragility is more than that of a wet tissue