The latest episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football is available now.
David Jackson and Colin Fray discuss Forest almost certainly securing a third successive season in the Premier League, VAR in the English top flight and whether the club could move from the City Ground.
Image source, BBC SportWolves are in the news this week for their pursuit of a vote on the scrapping of VAR.
Their wishes drew further scrutiny on Wednesday when Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon found himself in the middle of a contentious call before offering a strong view on the technology after his side went down at Manchester United.
"Modified" is the word when we are talking about VAR going to a vote.
We are still getting to grips with it, but we have seen some good come from it. There have been some instances of indifferent decisions because calls are getting too many looks at them from so many angles.
They still do not know what is a good tackle and what is not. I think they need help from some former players, who have been in that situation and understand what the differences are in those challenges.
We keep talking about different angles and that is not going to go away because with VAR or without it, on certain challenges we would still disagree. You could have two current players in a room and they still would not agree.
It is Wolves' opinion on VAR and if they feel it is not working for them, then you can understand why they are saying to have a go without it again.
Molineux boss Gary O'Neil has been very frustrated, but he has also been balanced and tried to stay quiet. Now he does not want to stay quiet because he feels it does not benefit them and decisions are not going their way.
Overall, we have seen good things from VAR, even if it does bring with it a delay and a wait.
It would be a shame now for it to all go away when we have all the technology in place.
Michael Brown was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford
Survival is almost certainly secured, so what are your thoughts going into Sunday's final game of the season?
What has to change with Forest's recruitment? Are you confident the Reds can meet profitability and sustainability rules?
And what about the boss - is Nuno Espirito Santo the right person to lead the club forward?
Have your say here.
Here are the key facts and figures before Burnley host Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Sunday.
Burnley have won six of their past seven home league games against Nottingham Forest, but this is the first time they have hosted them since a 1-0 win in February 2016.
Nottingham Forest are winless in their past six league games against Burnley (D4 L2) since a 2-0 home win in December 2012.
Having won their final Premier League game in the 2009-10 (4-2 v Spurs) and 2014-15 (1-0 v Aston Villa) campaigns, Burnley have lost each of their past six matches on MD38 in the competition
Nottingham Forest have not won their final league game in any of the past four seasons (D2 L2) since beating Bolton 1-0 in their 2018-19 Championship campaign.
Saveena Johal
Fan writer
We asked our Nottingham Forest fan contributor for their four player of the season choices and you can now vote for your top one.
Image source, Getty ImagesMorgan Gibbs-White
It feels like Gibbs-White is one of our own, and I am sure he feels much the same - he plays his heart out and is clearly motivated by a deep respect for the club. Helping to motivate the team as captain, smart passes that land at the feet of his team-mates, and his link up play with Chris Wood - there is a lot he can do.
Callum Hudson-Odoi
Hudson-Odoi has shown exceptional talent over these past few months. He has delivered stunning goals recently, proving himself to be a vital force in front of goal with incredible pace to match. While Chris Wood has also certainly bolstered our survival chances this season, Hudson-Odoi's consistency and class gives me great confidence.
Murillo
Murillo has been immense for us. His long passes are outstanding and his defence has been consistently impressive - the amount of near goals he has blocked have certainly helped. Let us just hope he is able to showcase his technical ability for a little longer with us.
Neco Williams
Williams has an astonishing work-rate, as he plays with the same level of intensity in every match. Through his time at Forest, he has progressively improved. Not a single bad performance springs to mind and this is well supported with him being the Reds' player of the month for three consecutive months.
Pick your 2023-24 Nottingham Forest player of the season from our shortlist here
Saveena Johal can be found at Punjabi Forest, external
Pat Riddell
Fan writer
The message was loud and clear on Saturday - "Stand up for the City Ground."
Players come and go, owners come and go, even the Premier League comes and goes. But one thing remains constant - the fans.
Proposals to up sticks and build a new stadium in Toton, nine miles away from Nottingham Forest's home of 126 years, have not been popular with the City Ground faithful.
Plans to rebuild the Peter Taylor Stand, and increase capacity to almost 40,000, have stalled in recent years for numerous reasons. Undoubtedly, the Reds want a stadium fit for the 21st century, and with Premier League survival almost assured for another season, that imperative increases by the day.
While the prospect of a new build close to the city might be countenanced by some - we have been here before with Gamston, Clifton and Eastcroft - a move so far away makes no sense whatsoever.
Evidently fans have an emotional attachment to a ground that has an atmosphere that can be hard to beat, as well as a history and heritage few can match. But the money that a Premier League stadium brings to the city is as important, as well as the whole match day experience for home and away visitors.
The City Council surely have no desire to see the club leave, so we can only hope - perhaps assume - that negotiations will resume imminently and posturing on both sides will cease.
When Mull of Kintyre rings out before kick off, one line is very clear - "My desire is always to be here."
Pat Riddell can be found at The Famous Club, external
We asked for your views on Saturday's match between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
Here are some of your answers:
Nottingham Forest fans
Simon: Typical Forest this season. Get the lead and then give it away. Nuno to blame, once again. Terrible subs. No way he can stay with us next season, absolutely no better than Cooper. Same poor defensive play style. Useless sub decisions. We're safe but it's not the way we should have ended the season.
Raymond: Anyone watching would never have guessed we were in the bottom four. We again showed flashes of fluency and quality in our passing. This squad has so much potential. I can’t wait for next season.
Hank: Typical Forest! Sums up much of the season. Played well, deserved something, but threw it away due to our own sloppy mistakes. Really took the shine off effectively staying up - but that is still the main thing. I hope we get a proper celebration next week. Will be glad when this season is over - roll on August!
Image source, PA MediaFormer England winger Chris Waddle, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast about Nottingham Forest after Saturday's loss to Chelsea: "Forest have got a lot of work to do in the summer.
"They've got five or six talented players who can hold their own in this league, but we're talking about squad size and quality. I'm sure the manager knows he's got to bring in at least four or five good players if they want to be well away [from relegation trouble].
"They've got to be spending money next season again - I don't know if they can - but this squad they've got at the minute will be in a battle to stay in this league next year."
Gary Lineker introduces highlights and analysis from Saturday's eight Premier League fixtures.
If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.
And you can watch highlights of Sunday's games on Match of the Day 2 here.
Also, listen back to Saturday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentaries in full on BBC Sounds:
Neil Johnston
BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty ImagesThere was a carnival atmosphere inside the City Ground as news of Luton's defeat to West Ham filtered through before Nottingham Forest's final home game of the season to Chelsea.
It meant Forest required one point to confirm a third successive season in the Premier League.
For six minutes it looked like they might confirm their survival in style as Callum Hudson-Odoi sent Forest into a 2-1 lead in the 74th-minute before Chelsea hit back with two late goals to seal a 3-2 win.
It will still require an unlikely set of circumstances to deny Forest a place in the Premier League next season.
They head into the final day with a three point lead over Luton, who also require a 12-goal swing to stay up.
But there was a sense of opportunity missed and instead of securing their safety with a game to spare, Nuno Espirito Santo's side head to relegated Burnley on 19 May knowing they have work to do.
Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Nottingham Forest's defeat to Chelsea: "It was a good match to watch. I'm disappointed after we bounced back to 2-1. We were dominant and controlled the game but the match went away from us because of our own mistakes. We allowed Chelsea to score.
"We knew it was in our hands to achieve the main objective to stay in the Premier League. It's not yet done but the way the players stuck to their task, we are positive for the next one to finally finish the job.
"The fans show us what it means. They have been so supportive. We are disappointed we are set to let them down today because they deserve a moment of happiness. We try for the next one but thank you for the support.
"It was not to be. I'm proud of the boys, the way they've been working on a daily basis. It's been hard for the boys with all of the noise around the football club. It's almost there.
"We have a good foundation as a football club to build a future. There is a lot of hard work ahead of us."
Since Boxing Day 2023, only three teams have picked up more points than Chelsea (35) in the Premier League (Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool). They’ve lost just three of their 18 games in this period (W10 D5), with only Man City (0) suffering fewer defeats.
Nottingham Forest suffered their ninth home defeat of the Premier League season, their joint-most in a 20-team campaign (also nine in 1998-99).
Chelsea have conceded in each of their past 15 away games in the Premier League, their longest ever run within a season. Their last clean sheet on the road in the league was at Fulham back in October (a 2-0 win), while they’ve shipped 33 goals in their 15 away trips since then.
Morgan Gibbs-White recorded his 10th assist of the Premier League campaign, with only Ollie Watkins (12) making more in 2023-24. He’s just the third Nottingham Forest player to hit double figures for assists in a season, after Bryan Roy in 1994-95 (11) and Ian Woan in 1995-96 (10).
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (21 goals, 10 assists) is just the fourth player in Premier League history to score 20+ goals and provide 10+ assists in his debut season for a specific club, after Andrew Cole with Newcastle in 1993-94 (34G & 13A), Jürgen Klinsmann with Spurs in 1994-95 (20G & 10A) and Mohamed Salah with Liverpool in 2017-18 (32G & 10A).
Callum Hudson-Odoi has scored eight goals for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League this season; the most by an English player for the club since both Ian Woan and Jason Lee in 1995-96 (8).
Nottingham Forest missed the chance to secure Premier League safety after losing to Chelsea in a five-goal thriller at the City Ground.
A resurgent Chelsea took the lead through their first attack when Mykhailo Mudryk swept home in the eighth minute after a beautifully crafted pass by Cole Palmer.
But after Willy Boly headed Forest level, former Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi sent Forest into a 74th-minute lead with a curling finish from 15 yards.
In an entertaining encounter, substitute Raheem Sterling made it 2-2 before Nicolas Jackson struck an 82nd-minute winner.
Luton's defeat at West Ham earlier on Saturday meant Forest required one point to confirm a third successive season in the Premier League.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side have 29 points from 37 games, three more than 18th-placed Luton who also have one match left.
However, Forest also have a superior goal difference, with Luton requiring a 12-goal swing to stay up.
The Reds go to relegated Burnley on the final day on 19 May, while Luton host Fulham.
Were you at the ground or following along from home?
Reds fans, give us your thoughts on the game.
Tell us what you made of the performance, Chelsea supporters.
All times BST
There are eight Premier League games taking place today, and you can stay updated with all of them via our live page.
Chris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.
For this weekend's matches, he takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
By the time this game kicks off, Nottingham Forest will know how Luton and Burnley have done. They could be as good as safe... or under a lot of pressure.
Chelsea have hit a bit of form and Mauricio Pochettino is showing why he always deserved to get time with this team, because they have found more consistency the longer the season has gone on.
But Forest have got some good players and I can see them getting a point out of this, which might be enough to make it absolutely certain they are staying up.
Serge's prediction: 0-1
I know Chelsea have been playing well in their past few games but they are a funny team.
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest defender Ola Aina says he is looking forward to the Reds' game against Chelsea at the City Ground on Saturday.
Aina signed for the Blues at under-11 level, and left the club permanently in 2019 after loan moves to Hull City and Torino.
Aina will be looking to help the Reds do the double over Chelsea after their 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in September.
"I don't know if this is going to get me in trouble, but I am a Chelsea fan." Aina told BBC East Midlands Today. "It's a fixture I've been looking forward to and I'm excited to be involved in it to see what happens."
On the Blues' recent form, Aina added: "It's football really. Sometimes you're high and sometimes you're low. It's just about trying to get a balance and stay consistent. That's what I've been trying to do.
"I don't think there's any point to prove. I don't hold grudges or anything - whatever happened in the past happened. There's no animosity there. It's just the career of a footballer.
"I only have fond moments of being at Chelsea. It's a chapter that closed and [I've] moved on, just how anyone else would."
Image source, Getty ImagesBrazilian defender Murillo has made a "promise" to Nottingham Forest supporters that the club "will stay in the Premier League", in his first English interview since joining the Reds in August 2023.
Murillo left Corinthians to join Forest under former manager Steve Cooper, signing a five-year deal after the two clubs agreed a fee of around £15m.
Speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham, the 21-year-old explained his decision to move to England: "For me, it is my dream.
"I have always dreamed about playing in Europe, but playing in the Premier League was my big dream. Today, I am playing in the Premier League.
"Nottingham Forest are the best group and the best team with a big history. We need to stay in the Premier League.
"We need the fans to stay calm because my promise is that we are going to stay in the Premier League."
On helping the team to a 3-1 win over already relegated Sheffield United last time out, Murillo said: "It was a big win. The team needed the win, but the next two games are very important.
"We need two wins to stay in the Premier League and we will do what we can.
"The next game will be very difficult against Chelsea, but we will be playing at home. It will still be a very difficult game because they are a big team.
"This week we have been working very hard to arrive on Saturday prepared for this next game to make the fans very happy."
With the news this week on their failed points deduction appeal, I think Nottingham Forest will go all out for these remaining games and be more confident in what they have to do.
If results go in a way that takes it to the final game of the season, then the match against Burnley could be a real humdinger on the last day.
Luton are going to have to get at least four points you would think to have a chance and then they face West Ham next in what could be another massive game with David Moyes' last home match in charge.
The issue with Forest is that they have got a lot of players, had a big turnaround in a short space of time, have had financial restrictions and a manager change. They have great ability in the squad and I didn't think they would be in this situation, I thought they would be away from it. If those points don't get taken off and the tension doesn't set in then they probably would have performed better because the points return has not been great.
It is difficult to say what Nuno Espirito Santo has done since he has come in. He has tried to change the style and use the squad as best as he can. They found form early on but then fell away and struggled. At the City Ground, however, you always feel like you are going to be in a game against them.
I thought Steve Cooper was doing an amazing job before he was sacked, so I was saying at the time to stick with it. I'm sure it wouldn't have made that much of a difference to where they currently are. Nuno has done OK. He will want to get better and better, but there is still some mixed, mixed results with the squad that they currently have.
Image source, Getty ImagesNottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has told the BBC he has big "dreams" for the club despite a "stressful" season at the club.
Marinakis was speaking on a night he described as "very emotional" as the Olympiakos side he also owns saw off Aston Villa to reach the Europa Conference League semi-final.
The owner celebrated how his side had upset the odds to knock out a club pushing to be in the Champions League in England, before talk turned to a tumultuous season at Nottingham Forest.
Marinakis, who bought Forest in 2017, said: "I think that what I have done so far for Forest, the investment, the time, I think we have achieved great things and now you will see we want to build a big stadium, a new training centre. It’s a great team, it inspires us and we want to do more and you will see in the years to come that we have big dreams for Forest."
The club's owner has faced scrutiny in recent weeks.
Forest were docked four points for breaching Premier League Profit and Sustainability rules this season and have failed in their appeal against the sanction.
They also drew criticism for their use of social media to question Video Assistant Referee Stuart Attwell in the aftermath of a defeat against Everton, during which they had three penalty claims turned down.
Asked about the points deduction, Marinakis said: "It’s not fair, but as I said very soon I will be speaking about it. It's not fair what was happened so far. Referee decisions have cost us points and this is something that has been repeated and repeated and what we expect for the Premier League and referees is to correct these mistakes.
"I think that for me, speaking about it and having a great appetite to correct it doesn’t damage the sport. What damages the sport are these unfair decisions, in my opinion. But I have lived my life to deal with difficult decisions and I enjoy it, I enjoy the uphill and I think that forest will stay in the division and for the years to come, we will do a lot of good things and you will see a great future ahead of us."
