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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport

Top-five tussle: how Premier League battle for Champions League spots is shaping up

Left to right: Omar Marmoush, Alexander Isak, Antonee Robinson, Anthony Elanga, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Kaoru Mitoma.
Left to right: Omar Marmoush, Alexander Isak, Antonee Robinson, Anthony Elanga, Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Kaoru Mitoma. Composite: Guardian pictures

Nottingham Forest P 31 Pts 57 GD +14

The important thing for Forest is that they sit third and have an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City to look forward to. Everyone below would like to be in their position. Injuries will be a cause for concern for Nuno Espírito Santo, who has been without his top scorer, Chris Wood, since the international break and then lost Wood’s replacement, Taiwo Awoniyi, leaving Forest without a recognised striker for the loss to Aston Villa, a game also missed by Ola Aina. Their final seven matches include four at home, where they have lost only twice, but three tricky away clashes in London mean the path to a historic return to Europe’s top table is unlikely to be straightforward for a team who have not been in this situation before. Forest have more experienced squads snapping at their heels as they seek to accomplish the most significant Premier League achievement since Leicester won the title. Will Unwin

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