Chelsea’s final sprint: Predicting the Blues Champions League fate in a May inferno

Chelsea’s top-four hopes face a brutal May gauntlet—Liverpool, Newcastle, and more—while juggling a Conference League semi-final push after a 3-0 Legia win. Can they hold on?
Legia Warszawa v Chelsea FC - UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg
Legia Warszawa v Chelsea FC - UEFA Conference League 2024/25 Quarter Final First Leg | Piotr Hawalej/GettyImages
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Manchester United (Home)

Chelsea’s final home stand brings Manchester United to Stamford Bridge, a Red Devils side mired in the bottom half for much of the season. The Blues are unbeaten in their last four Premier League home games against United (W1, D3), with a dramatic 4-3 win in April 2024—fueled by Cole Palmer’s hat-trick—snapping a drought dating back to 2017.

United’s recent struggles make this the most winnable of May’s gauntlet, but Chelsea’s historical knack for drawing this fixture (three straight from 2020–21 to 2022–23) tempers expectations. Still, with the Bridge behind them, Maresca’s men should seize the moment. Prediction: three points for Chelsea.

Nottingham Forest (Away)

The curtain falls at the City Ground, where Nottingham Forest—third with 57 points—chase their first Champions League berth in 45 years. The Tricky Trees, under Nuno Espírito Santo, have been a revelation, their home ground a graveyard for giants like Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City.

Forest’s remaining fixtures skew softer—six of their last seven are against bottom-half sides—but this finale will be a high-stakes showdown if Chelsea are still in the UCL hunt. The Blues will scrap for every inch, but Forest’s fortress and their own European ambitions likely force a share of the spoils. Prediction: a tense draw to close the campaign.