Nottingham Forest v Bournemouth: Key stats and talking points
Bournemouth visit Nottingham Forest on Sunday knowing they are already assured of a first European adventure next season – but they need a number of results to go their way to land a place in the Champions League. It was Forest who enjoyed their own continental quest this year, with an impressive run to the Europa League semi-finals providing a welcome distraction to their domestic woes. Pereira pulling up Trees Vitor Pereira took over from Sean Dyche in February and has steered the Tricky Trees to safety thanks in no small part to an eight-game unbeaten run that ended with a 3-2 defeat by Manchester United last week.
In fact, since the Portuguese head coach's arrival, Forest have been the eighth-best team in the division. Morgan Gibbs-White was on the scoresheet again at Old Trafford, his 14th league goal of the season, but he was absent from the England World Cup squad named by Thomas Tuchel on Friday, despite boasting better numbers than some of the attacking midfielders selected. [BBC] Pereira's side enter the final day in 16th but could still climb as high as 11th with a win and several kind results elsewhere, although this is not ordinarily a fixture they fare well in.
Forest are winless in all seven of their Premier League games against Bournemouth (D3 L4) - that's both the most they've faced a side without ever winning and the most the Cherries have played a team without losing in the competition. Iraola's last stand Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola will want to bow out on a high in what is the Spaniard's last game before departing Vitality Stadium – and what a position he leaves the club in. The Cherries are sixth, which may be enough for a Champions League spot, but it relies on Aston Villa, who are currently fourth, finishing fifth.
Regardless, they cannot drop lower than seventh, and therefore a Europa League spot, at the very least, is guaranteed. Had it not been for a vast number of draws, the Dorset club might already have confirmed their place among Europe's elite. They've shared the points 17 times this season; one more stalemate would set an outright Premier League record for a 38-game season.
[BBC] It's already the most draws by any side finishing in the top half of the table since Newcastle United in 2003-04 (17, finished fifth). Nine of those draws have come in Bournemouth's ongoing 17-game unbeaten run in the league, a sequence that is unrivalled in the top flight this season. Defender Marcos Senesi will also bid farewell to the Cherries faithful on Sunday after confirming he will leave the club upon the expiry of his contract.