No regrets? Conference League final-bound Crystal Palace give Nottingham Forest & Evangelos Marinakis food for thought after European qualification squabble

Forest were in contention for a Champions League spot across much of the 2024-25 campaign, only to stumble over the line under Nuno Espirito Santo and finish in seventh place. They should, in theory, have become Conference League contenders on the back of that domestic standing.

The Reds were, however, to become embroiled in a lengthy saga involving Palace, John Textor, UEFA and Lyon. Multi-club ownership rules and deadlines regarding restructuring at boardroom level resulted in changes being made to the line-ups of continental tournaments in 2025-26.

Palace and Forest swapped places, with the latter being bumped into the Europa League. Said promotion was warmly embraced at the City Ground, but collective dreams were ultimately dashed by Aston Villa when coming unstuck at the semi-final stage.

In contrast, having initially been frustrated at taking a step backwards, Palace have - overcoming the odd wobble along the way - made their way to a major European final that sees more silverware fall within reach. They are set to face Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig on May 27.

Will those in Nottingham be cursing their luck, with questions being asked of whether they should have accepted their fate and embarked on their own quest for Conference League glory?

When that question was put to Morrison, the former Palace striker - speaking exclusively to GOAL courtesy of Freebets.com - said: “I know what you're saying. But I've got to give Forest huge credit because if you look at the Europa League, they weren't a million miles away from it. And I feel like the injuries that they got are kind of crucial.

“The 1-0 [against Villa], they were fantastic in the first leg, and then they just picked up injuries. And when you've got three, four key starters missing in your team, it's hard to adapt. And Villa were outstanding at Villa Park.

“But if Forest had won that, I'd fancy them to beat Freiburg in the final for sure. That's how it goes. But I thought they did fantastic. And Vitor Pereira has done an outstanding job. He's gone into the club, he's kept them in the Premier League with all the injuries they've got.

“What Forest need, they need to have their best players, all of the players fit and healthy. I was at the game against Newcastle - I thought Elliot Anderson was magnificent. What a player he is, by the way. You might lose him in the summer because the vultures are going to be out with their big checkbooks and stuff like that.

“But I think it's been a good season for Forest. We know the owner's [Evangelos Marinakis] really ambitious and I think next season they'll invest again and they'll be hoping that they're finishing in the top half of the table. That's why I like the owner because he's very ambitious and he wants that club to do ever so well.”

While Forest and Marinakis have been given food for thought, as they could have been lining up a European final adventure of their own, Palace are looking to wrap up a memorable 12 months in silverware-winning style.

Having already savoured FA Cup and Community Shield glory, Oliver Glasner’s reign - which will come to an end when his contract at Selhurst Park expires in the summer - could finish on the highest possible note as another trophy and qualification for the Europa League in 2026-27 is secured.