Nottingham Forest had a very up-and-down season last term.
After finishing seventh in the 2024/25 campaign, many expected Nottingham Forest to challenge for Europe again.
But, they struggled for half a year in the league, as they weren’t helped by the numerous managerial changes which started three games in, when Nuno Espirito Santo left following a fallout with Edu.
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Forest improved drastically when Vitor Pereira joined in February, and he actually turned them into the ninth best team in the division based on the form table.
Pereira’s side also managed to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League, evincing the potential of the squad.
That said, Opta have now released their power rankings, which determine the best football teams in the world.
Forest’s position shows exactly why they remain a very attractive club to join, supporting Oliver Glasner’s decision to leave Crystal Palace for the Tricky Trees.
Nottingham Forest are the 18th best team in the world
Arsenal have been named the best football team in the world, followed by Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona as the top five.
Forest have been ranked in 18th place, above the likes of Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Roma.
Interestingly, the East Midlanders reside seven places above Crystal Palace in 25th, so based on that metric, Glasner made the right decision in swapping clubs.
| # | Club | Rating |
| 15 | Sporting CP | 92.5 |
| 16 | Brentford | 92.2 |
| 17 | Benfica | 92.1 |
| 18 | Nottingham Forest | 91.9 |
| 19 | Chelsea | 91.9 |
| 20 | Atletico Madrid | 91.8 |
As referenced above, Forest have shown their true level since the middle of February, when Pereira replaced Sean Dyche.
The East Midlanders have picked up the ninth most points in the Premier League, only one behind Liverpool, who qualified for the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Palace are languishing down in 15th, so perhaps Glasner knew he was overachieving with the Eagles and recognised Forest were already striding past them.
| # | Club | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
| 6 | Liverpool | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 7 | Fulham | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 8 | Sunderland | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 18 |
| 9 | Forest | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
| 10 | Leeds | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 17 |
| 11 | West Ham | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| 12 | Villa | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| 14 | Brentford | 12 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| 15 | Palace | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 13 |
The statistics paint a very clear picture; Forest are a better side than Palace and are projected to finish above them next season.
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