Champions League: Which clubs are in the race for European football?

“A bad night and a bad game.”

Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo could not hide from a lacklustre performance as his side lost ground in the race for a Champions League berth.

A 2-0 defeat at home against Brentford, who hold their own European ambitions, left Forest sitting sixth and up against it in their bid to secure a first appearance in Europe’s premier competition since 1980.

It is the first time Forest have lost successive home fixtures in the Premier League this season.

Victory would have propelled Forest, who lost against Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final on Sunday, up to third with four games left to play.

However, they must now rely on sides above them to drop points while also finding a way to address their own form, having lost three of their past four league outings.

Despite those struggles, Forest are only two points adrift of the Magpies and have a favourable run-in, with home games against Chelsea and relegated Leicester plus trips to Crystal Palace and West Ham.

There are still just five points separating Aston Villa in seventh with third-placed Newcastle.

With the Premier League’s top five guaranteed a spot in the Champions League next term, the race for Europe remains closely contested as the season enters its final weeks.

As many as 11 European places are up for grabs and there will definitely be a minimum of eight Premier League teams – up from the usual seven – playing in Europe next season, but things could change in the coming weeks.

It means Crystal Palace, down in 12th, remain in contention for a place in Europe through the league as well as if they win the FA Cup.

BBC Sport takes a look at how many teams could qualify for each of the European competitions – the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.