Nottingham Forest against Chelsea is the headline fixture of the Premier League final day, with both teams hoping to end Sunday in a Champions League place.
The match represents the only opportunity for a European hopeful to directly impact the fate of one of their rivals for the top five. Forest will start the day in seventh, only a point behind Chelsea in fifth.
With both teams boasting almost fully fit squads for the final day, who will Mail Sport’s combined XI feature for this crucial clash?
Goalkeeper: Matz Sels
Perhaps the most impressive performer of Forest’s season, choosing Sels for the goalkeeper spot is a simple choice.
Matz Sels makes a crucial save in Nottingham Forest’s win away at West Ham last week
The Forest stopper has played every game of their impressive campaign to date, saving three penalties along the way.
He has kept 13 clean sheets in his 37 appearances and featured in both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher’s Team of the Season.
Robert Sanchez, though, has been inconsistent in the Chelsea goal, being dropped on two separate occasions after making a plethora of costly mistakes.
His occasional replacement Filip Jorgensen, whilst performing well in the Conference League, has failed to inspire when given opportunities in the Premier League by Enzo Maresca. Both keepers have been linked with moves away.
Right back: Reece James
The England international narrowly edges out Ola Aina to secure the right back spot in the team.
Despite recurrent injury issues in the last two seasons, James has enjoyed a comeback campaign, earning him a recall to the England squad.
The Champions League winner has only missed out on one matchday squad in 2025, and filled in a number of positions for Maresca when needed.
Aina, however, is a key part of the Forest side. The Nigerian boasts quality in attack and defence and is a vital cog in Nuno Espirito Santo’s counter-attacking system.
But Aina’s season is an outlier in what has been an otherwise topsy-turvy career, seeing him bounce around teams in the Premier League and across Europe, and does not share the quality of Reece James in the Chelsea defence.
Reece James has returned to fitness and form for Chelsea in 2025’s first five months
Centre back: Nikola Milenkovic
The Serbian defender has enjoyed a stellar and consistent campaign for Forest, being dubbed by many as the ‘signing of the season’.
The defender has been a cornerstone of Forest’s counter-attacking mentality and provides a solid foundation which Chelsea will find hard to break down at the weekend.
Without Milenkovic it would be hard to imagine Forest as near the Champions League places.
Centre back: Murillo
Another star of Forest’s season, Murillo has attracted attention from top clubs across Europe for his combination of strength and pace.
Although Levi Colwill has been a bright spark for Chelsea this season, his side’s lacklustre performance in the second half of the campaign away from home sees him miss out on a spot in the eleven.
Murillo and Milenkovic’s partnership has earned praise from their manager among many others. Speaking earlier in the season, Santo told the New York Times: ‘I think the arrival of Nikola has helped a lot because the duo’s complicity fits, they have characteristics that complement each other.’
Left back: Marc Cucurella
The standout performer of Chelsea’s season is the obvious choice at left back.
Cucurella has built on his impressive Euro 2024 campaign for Spain by playing consistently well for Maresca’s side this season and even finding an eye for goal, scoring five times in the Premier League.
Neco Williams for Forest has also enjoyed a solid campaign, but his attacking contributions are far fewer in number than his Chelsea counterpart.
Marc Cucurella is the standout performer in Chelsea’s season and scoring crucial goals
Central Midfielder: Moises Caicedo
The Ecuadorian has really settled into life in West London under Maresca and was a surefire pick to be the Blues’ player of the season award.
The £115million midfielder has featured in every game Chelsea have played in the league. He leads the team with 110 tackles at an impressive 64 per cent tackle success rate.
While Ibrahima Sangare has returned to form of late, his contributions to Forest this season have been too few and far between to warrant his inclusion in the eleven.
Central Midfielder: Enzo Fernandez
Fernandez’s impressive performances are finally proving why Chelsea made him the most expensive midfielder in history last January.
The Argentinian has proved his acumen with and without the ball, providing thirteen contributions for teammates alongside impressive defensive performances in the middle of the park. The World Cup winner also boats a superb passing range.
Elliot Anderson’s fine form has surprised many across the Premier League after his £35m switch from Newcastle in the summer and he is a vital component of the Forest side. But his slightly less impressive attacking numbers see him narrowly miss out.
Attacking midfielder: Morgan Gibbs-White
Gibbs-White has a stellar 17 goal contributions this season and has emerged as a transfer target for Pep Guardiola and Manchester City once Kevin De Bruyne leaves.
Gibbs-White will be hoping he can pop up with some more to secure a Champions League spot in Forest’s biggest game of the season.
Morgan Gibbs-White is a Man City target – but first must guide Forest to a top-five place
Left winger: Cole Palmer
Although featuring mostly as a number 10 this season, Palmer boasts the ability and the know-how to play across the attack.
Despite only scoring once in the last three months, the forward boasts an excellent 15 goals and 9 assists in his 36 appearances this season, dwarfing the production of Forest’s Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Palmer reflected on his season after breaking his duck: ‘I went three months without scoring, but it just gave me more motivation.
‘Social media is full of idiots, the trolls and whatever. I don’t pay attention. I’m mentally strong.’
Right winger: Anthony Elanga
The Swede has launched his Forest career into life after joining from Manchester United two seasons ago.
Elanga is third in the Premier League table for assists with 11 in the campaign, to add to his six goals.
The partnership between Elanga and Chris Wood has been the focal point of Nottingham Forest’s attack this season.
Chris Wood is the most-improved player in the Premier League with 20 goals this season
Striker: Chris Wood
Wood indisputably sports the title of the Premier League’s most-improved player this season.
Forest’s counter-attacking system fits him like a glove – the Kiwi’s 20 Premier League goals is the best return of his 16-year career.
Nicolas Jackson’s inconsistency pales in comparison to Wood’s reliable goal-scoring. The 33-year old forward is aging like a fine wine.
