Brian Laws gives honest verdict on whether Nottingham Forest can reach Champions League ‘dreamland’

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Nottingham Forest fans are edging closer every week to a famous Champions League qualification, something that club legend Brian Laws is fully aware of.

The European charge took a hit when Forest were beaten 5-0 by Bournemouth, but incredibly Nuno Espirito Santo’s side bounced back to better the scoreline by dismantling Brighton 7-0.

To boost their chances of qualification, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis got crucial business done by rewarding Murillo with a new Forest contract in a bid to retain the very stars that have seen them reach these remarkable heights in the Premier League table.

Chris Wood also signed a new Forest deal to secure the future of the club’s top scorer, with the Kiwi international scoring 17 goals in the Premier League this season.

Regardless of any of these positive steps, though, the nerves will be high around the City Ground until qualification is confirmed or not, with Laws feeling those emotions.

Brian Laws on Nottingham Forest’s Champions League chances

Laws has a permanent place in Forest history after winning the League Cup twice in his six seasons at the club under Brian Clough.

Although he missed the consecutive European Cup wins of 1979 and 1980, Laws was present in a period of success at the City Ground, something he is hoping to see return through Champions League qualification.

Speaking to the Forest Focus podcast, Laws said: “When we were first talking about it [Champions League] I said: ‘Shut up, what are you talking about! We’re in dreamland at this moment in time, it’s not reality so we’ve just got to take one game at a time.'”

Moving past the initial delirium, Laws continued: “In the performances, I think we’ve shown that we’re consistent, we have a structure and we’ve got a team that can hurt teams.

“We’ve got pace in the side but also trickery that can unlock the tightest defences. So, for me, my confidence has grown stronger and at this stage of the season, it would take one almighty disaster to not be there or thereabouts.”

Laws’ growing confidence won’t necessarily be shared by everyone, but some assurance can be taken by looking at the Forest squad’s favourable probability of Champions League qualification according to expert statisticians.

Supercomputer predicts Nottingham Forest will qualify for the Champions League

According to BBC Sport, the Premier League is likely to receive a fifth Champions League qualification place this season due to coefficient points, so Forest may only need to finish fifth to secure their place at the top table of European football.

Therefore, the news from the Opta supercomputer’s Premier League projected chances as Forest have been given a 69.7% chance of finishing in the top five positions.

Given that Espirito Santo’s Forest tactics have been praised this season, there will be hope that the Forest coaching staff will be able to navigate the final stretch of the season and use this favourable probability to their advantage.