Can Nottingham Forest reach Champions League or even 'do a Leicester'? - How current run compares to Premier League past
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Updated 07/01/2025 at 16:40 GMT
Who says the Premier League is predictable? Beyond the halfway stage of the current campaign, Nottingham Forest are defying the odds and find themselves in the mix for UEFA Champions League qualification. How far will Nuno Espirito Santo's side go? We have looked back on some previous seasons to give an indication as to whether Forest can stay the course.
'We're building something nice' - Nuno 'really happy' after Forest win at Man Utd
Video credit: SNTV
Perhaps something of a mildly hot take, but remove the usual ‘big six’ suspects and the Premier League, or perhaps the entire English football pyramid, is the most fluid and entertaining sporting competition in the world.
In the last two seasons alone, we have seen Newcastle United and Aston Villa make remarkable strides to compete in the UEFA Champions League, and while they are both historically big clubs, it is easy to forget that both sides were relegated to the Championship in the last decade.
Looking to follow in their footsteps this season are Nottingham Forest, a team this time 20 years ago who were struggling, and failing, to get promoted from League One and just three years ago, started the 2021/22 Championship season with one point from their opening seven matches.
One promotion and a couple of managerial changes later, The Reds find themselves in a great position to return to Europe’s premier competition for the first time since the glory days when they lifted the trophy twice, in 1979 and 1980.
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Currently level on points with second-place Arsenal, albeit with 18 games left to play, Forest welcome league leaders Liverpool to the City Ground live on TNT Sports and discovery+ on Tuesday, January 14, hoping to make a major statement about their intentions this season and beyond.
But why stop at a top-four or top-five finish? Could manager Nuno Espirito Santo actually achieve the unthinkable and emulate the great Brian Clough by winning the league?
After 20 games, Forest have 40 points, so what does that suggest about where they may end up? What exactly does history say as far as their prospects are concerned?
1997/98 – Blackburn Rovers
The 1995 Premier League champions drew 0-0 with Sheffield Wednesday on Boxing Day, 1997 to hit the 40-point mark after 20 games played to remain in second place behind leaders Manchester United.
However, a poor second half of the season saw them fall away from title contention to finish in sixth place, although this did mean qualification for the then UEFA Cup.
2004/05 – Manchester United
Ryan Giggs scored the only goal for United as they beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Villa Park on December 28, 2004 to move up to third place with 40 points from their opening 20 matches.
Despite moving up to second in the coming months, a disappointing run in the spring saw Sir Alex Ferguson’s side end the season in third behind champions Chelsea and second-placed Arsenal.
2004/05 – Everton
The same season saw Everton enjoy a remarkable campaign which would result in a fourth-placed finish and Champions League qualification.
Everton hit the 40-point mark after game 19, beating Manchester City 2-1 at Goodison Park on Boxing Day, courtesy of goals from Tim Cahill and Marcus Bent. Game 20, however, saw them go down 2-0 to Charlton at the Valley.
2015/16 – Leicester City
This is the season everybody is looking at Forest taking inspiration from. Tipped for relegation at the start of the campaign, Claudio Ranieri’s side hit the ‘safety’ points tally in game 20 on January 2 after a 0-0 home draw against Bournemouth and subsequently occupied second place in the table.
If that was already beyond their wildest dreams, things would only get better as The Foxes miraculously went on to win the Premier League title for the first time, defying an almost-unheard-of 5000/1 price before the first ball was kicked the previous August.
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Ben Chilwell of Leicester City lifts the Premier League Trophy as players and staffs celebrate the season champion after the Barclays Premier League match between Leicester City and Everton at The King Power Stadium.
Image credit: Getty Images
2020/21 – Manchester United
With the world emerging from the pandemic, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s United side looked to try and steal a march on rivals City to take the title, and hit 40 points in their 19th game with a 2-1 away at Fulham thanks to goals from Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba.
However, they then suffered a damaging setback in their next fixture, going down 2-1 at home to rock-bottom Sheffield United, dropping into second place where they would remain for the remainder of the campaign.
2023/24 – Arsenal
A hard-fought 1-1 draw at Anfield with title rivals Liverpool saw Arsenal top the table with 40 points from 18 matches before Christmas in 2023, before two shock London derby defeats to West Ham and Fulham saw The Gunners slip to fourth after 20 matches.
Despite a run of 16 wins and one draw from their next 18 games, Mikel Arteta’s side fell just short to Manchester City, finishing runners-up for the second season in a row.
| Season | Team | Division | Games | Pts | Final Position |
| 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | 1 | 20 | 40 | 6 |
| 2005 | Manchester United | 1 | 20 | 40 | 3 |
| 2005 | Everton | 1 | 20 | 40 | 4 |
| 2016 | Leicester City | 1 | 20 | 40 | 1 |
| 2021 | Manchester United | 1 | 20 | 40 | 2 |
| 2024 | Arsenal | 1 | 20 | 40 | 2 |
| 2025 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 20 | 40 | ? |
Watch the 2024/25 Premier League season on TNT Sports and discovery+
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