Steve Cooper makes claim about Nottingham Forest’s Champions League chances after Crystal Palace draw

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Former Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper has given his verdict on the club’s hopes of securing Champions League football.

Forest’s patchy run of form continued against Crystal Palace as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park on Monday evening.

That result now leaves the City Ground outfit outside of the top five, with many now doubting Forest’s Champions League chances.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
3	Man CityManchester City	35	19	7	9	67	43	24	64
4	NewcastleNewcastle	35	19	6	10	66	45	21	63
5	ChelseaChelsea	35	18	9	8	62	41	21	63
6	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	35	18	7	10	54	42	12	61
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	35	17	9	9	55	49	6	60
8	B’mouthBournemouth	35	14	11	10	55	42	13	53

But with three favourable fixtures still to come, Jamie Carragher has backed Forest to push their European rivals to the wire – a sentiment which has been echoed by former boss Steve Cooper.

• READ MORE: Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner explains exactly why Nottingham Forest are so difficult to play against

Steve Cooper speaks on Forest’s Champions League hopes

Having spent the majority of the season in and around the Champions League places, Espirito Santo’s side have punched above their weight for the majority of the campaign.

Forest’s road to European football, however, has suffered a few dangerous bumps in recent weeks, with only one win in their last five Premier League games.

Despite this poor run of form, ex-manager Cooper still backs his former side to be within a fighting chance of securing a top-five spot.

“Absolutely. I look at it with two lenses really. I’m looking at where the club has come from, but if we are just talking about now, it’s all to play for. I think we (Michael Owen) both agreed that it is a decent point tonight,” Cooper told the Premier League.

“Looking at the fixtures, there’s no reason why the players and the manager shouldn’t back themselves to get the job done. Even going one-nil down and bouncing back, it’s a good sign of another resilience and another good sign of concentration, not panicking.

“They are in a really good position to get the job done – it’s all to play for.”

Michael Owen claims Forest vs Chelsea could be European decider

Relegated Leicester City and struggling West Ham are up next for Forest, and Espirito Santo’s men will fancy their chances of bagging six points before they host Chelsea on the final day.

With this in mind, Michael Owen believes the game against the Blues could be the decider when it comes to securing Champions League qualification.

“They (Forest) have the pick of the fixtures, of course, Man City have a great set of fixtures also, but they’ve qualified and I think they are going to be fine, I’m sure.

“Out of the others, I think Forest have the best run of fixtures, especially that last one. What a lovely position to be in at home against Chelsea last game of the season, probably knowing if you win and you are in the Champions League. I think that is what it’s going to boil down to eventually.”