Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo.Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo.
Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo. | Getty Images
Chelsea and Nottingham Forest fight for Champions League qualification this weekend but it’s been a dramatic two weeks for the hosts.
Nottingham Forest will welcome Chelsea to The City Ground under a cloud of controversy that continues to grow for a crunch match on the closing day of the Premier League season.
Enzo Maresca and Nuno Espirito Santo are both looking to guide their sides into the Champions League next term by finishing in the top five but there remains all to play for. Chelsea sit fifth on 66 points with Forest seventh on 65 points.
Aston Villa are in between the two clubs, level on points with Chelsea, with Newcastle United and Manchester City in fourth and third with 66 and 68 points respectively. Nottingham Forest had been third until recent weeks but have dropped points against Brentford, Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
Nottingham Forest face dramatic end to Premier League season
The 2-2 draw with relegated Leicester City prompted a spat between Espirito Santo and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis at full time. Picked up by the cameras, a season of great achievement for Nottingham Forest risked finishing under a cloud.
Edson Alvarez and Carlos Soler were booked for the Hammers with Murillo and Morata shown yellows for Nottingham Forest. The FA said: "West Ham United and Nottingham Forest have been charged in relation to the mass confrontation at their Premier League game on Sunday, 18 May. It's alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players didn't behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 103rd minute. West Ham United and Nottingham Forest have to provide their responses by Friday, 23 May."
Chelsea face Forest side struggling for composure
That match lasted almost 113 minutes due to a long VAR delay with technical problems at Stockley Park. Espirito Santo said: “I thought it was never going to end! I was hoping for the game to end but it was due to the stoppage time.
“The referee explained to us there was a problem with the connection with Stockley Park - that’s why they took so long (to check Milenkovic’s goal). We don’t want these things to happen, but when it happens it is about trying to keep your composure until the end.”
Regarding the confrontation between the manager and the owner earlier this month, the club released a statement and said: "The truth of the matter is there was no confrontation, with Nuno or with others, either on the pitch or inside the stadium. There was only shared frustration between all of us that the medical team should never have allowed the player to continue.
"We urge former coaches and players, and other public figures in the game, to resist the urge to rush to judgement and fake news online, especially when they do not have the full facts and context."
In other news, Where Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle Utd and others will finish in Premier League - according to Opta.
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