Alan Shearer delivers verdict on Nottingham Forest Champions League chance 'no-one saw coming'

Alan Shearer fears Nottingham Forest are going to miss out on a place in next season's Champions League as the race for the five places at the top of the Premier League table intensifies in the run-in.

Forest have held a place in the top five since December, when a victory at Manchester United sparked a five-game winning streak which cemented their place in the European spots. More recently, Nuno Espirito Santo's side have lost a couple of games back to back, and that has opened the door for the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle to make up ground.

Forest can climb back into third and leapfrog Newcastle, Manchester City and Chelsea, on Monday night if they can overcome Tottenham Hotspur (KO 8pm), but Shearer feels the momentum at this point of the season is with their rivals - and, for the likes of Villa and Newcastle, who have tasted Champions League recently, there'll be added motivation.

"It is hard enough to predict results in the Premier League anyway, but at this stage of the season it is even more difficult," Shearer told the BBC. "Looking at each club's remaining games now doesn't really help in deciding what might happen, because some of the teams they face may have different priorities, or nothing to play for full-stop.

"It's the same for anyone who plays Manchester United and Tottenham before the end of the season too, because the Europa League is their priority now. Right now my guess would be that maybe Chelsea and Forest will be the teams who miss out - but that situation could change very quickly.

"There will be ups and downs for all five clubs involved but they have all got valid reasons for thinking they can and will make it. They all have the same incentive too - getting in the Champions League, or not, is massive because of the financial rewards it brings.

"For Manchester City, who have qualified every year since 2011, it is part of their model and although Chelsea have not been in it for a couple of seasons, that applies to them too. Chelsea finished sixth last season and failing to improve on that will probably be deemed a failure, even if they win the UEFA Conference League.

"In contrast, no-one saw this coming from Forest, but they have now spent so much time in the top five that they will be disappointed if they don't make it from here. The picture is going to keep on changing - Manchester City play Villa on Tuesday, when I guess the other three teams watching on will be hoping for a draw.

"This is what it is going to be like now every week between now and the end of the season. Someone will have a bad result and appear to be out of it, and someone else will win and look like they are favourites, but there are plenty of twists and turns to come."

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We have produced a special 48-page edition of the Nottingham Post celebrating the club’s two European Cup wins.

Nottingham Forest are flying high in the Premier League and Reds fans are dreaming of a return to European competition. It has been an outstanding campaign for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men, who are on course for a place in the Champions League next season. And Forest supporters can whet their appetite for a possible return to football’s top tier on the continent with our 48-page special edition celebrating the club’s two European Cup wins.

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