Newcastle United will travel to the City Ground to take on Nottingham Forest on Friday, hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League.
This weekend’s Premier League action kicks off with a lopsided contest between relegation-battlers Nottingham Forest and top-four hopefuls Newcastle United. Eddie Howe’s men picked up a much-needed 2-1 win over Wolves at St. James’ Park on Sunday after a magnificent first-half performance.
The Magpies were unlucky to head into the break just a goal up after they carved out multiple scoring opportunities. Ultimately, goals from Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron proved enough to secure the full haul of points.
Picking up a win over Wolves was all the more important following the weekend’s results, as it brought back a real wave of positivity to spark St. James’ Park back to life. Newcastle had a chance to leapfrog Liverpool in the table after the Reds’ defeat to Bournemouth and had the opportunity to close the gap to Tottenham to four points while still having two games in hand. And they took the chance with both hands.
Next on the fixture list is a trip to Nottingham Forest, where they will face two familiar faces Jonjo Shelvey and Chris Wood, both of whom left Newcastle in January. It is another important game, with Eddie Howe’s side eager to head into the international break off the back of a victory.
On the other hand, Nottingham Forest are still searching for a breakthrough and are now without a win in their last five Premier League matches, after losing 3-1 away to Tottenham last weekend. However, at the City Ground, they are a different outfit altogether, as they are unbeaten in their last nine, though only four of those have been wins during that stretch.
With Forest embroiled in a survival struggle, they will look to make things difficult for the visitors. They hold a tenuous two-point lead over the bottom three in what is shaping up to be a relegation scrap involving nine clubs.
Team News & Tactics
Nottingham Forest
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— Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) March 15, 2023
Nottingham Forest remain without the services of a host of players for this game. In fact, Steve Cooper has an injury crisis on his hands. Chris Wood and Brennan Johnson were both forced off during that game with Tottenham on Saturday due to injuries. So they will have to be assessed late before this match.
Wayne Hennessey was injured prior to kick-off last weekend, so he is ruled out here. And while Cheikhou Kouyate returned to first-team training, he is not ready to start here. Forest can ill afford any more injuries. Many players are currently queuing outside the treatment room. And the situation is becoming a little bit tricky for the Reds.
Cooper is likely to go ahead with his preferred 4-3-2-1 formation, with Keylor Navas in goal. The back four will consist of Serge Aurier, Joe Worrall, Felipe, and Renan Lodi. Jonjo Shelvey will be the sitting midfielder, trying to send runners in behind with his Hollywood long balls. He is likely to start alongside Ryan Yates and Remo Freuler in the midfield.
Johnson has looked like a different player since the World Cup and is very much integral to Forest and their Premier League survival hopes. He is the one player who looks capable of sticking the ball in the net right now. And his absence is a major blow for Garibaldi.
It is not clear who will step up. So perhaps Jesse Lingard will get the go-ahead to start as the right winger. But he offered absolutely nothing and was rightly hooked at half-time against Tottenham. In Johnson’s absence, the onus will be on Morgan Gibbs-White to take that mantle as he lines up on the left flank.
Emmanuel Dennis was bright enough when he came on as a substitution and made a difference. So he may get another chance to impress here.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Navas; Aurier, Worrall, Felipe, Lodi; Yates, Shelvey, Freuler; Lingard, Gibbs-White; Dennis
Newcastle United
While Newcastle United do have a few injury concerns to deal with ahead of Friday’s game, this is nothing compared to their hosts. Emil Krafth is still out with an injury. Ryan Fraser has been relegated to train with the Under-21s. So he won’t be involved here.
Joelinton remains suspended for this game. Anthony Gordon has also suffered an injury setback early in his Newcastle United career, with the 22-year-old expected to miss several weeks owing to an ankle issue. With the international break coming up, three points will be very important. Newcastle will travel to Dubai for some warm-weather training. It will be much more enjoyable after two victories.
Eddie Howe may lean towards picking the same XI that stopped the rut in the Wolves game. Goalkeeper Nick Pope, for one, survived an early scare of receiving yet another red card after he collided with Raul Jimenez. But he made amends with several excellent saves to keep Wolves at bay. And he is set to start in between the sticks here.
In defence, despite club captain Jamaal Lascelles’s solid outing against Manchester City, Howe reverted back to his preferred centre-back pairing of Sven Botman and Fabian Schar, the latter of whom was restored back into the starting XI last time out. Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier will once again start as the full-backs.
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— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) March 15, 2023
Joe Willock was equally impressive, putting up a monster performance. The midfielder replaced the suspended Joelinton and will be relied upon once again alongside Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes in the middle of the park on Friday at the City Ground.
Steve Cooper’s side have been leaking goals for fun away from home. But they have proven to be a tough nut to crack at home this season and will be a major test for Howe’s attack. Jacob Murphy was in the eleven on the right flank against Wolves, replacing top scorer Miguel Almiron, who had previously started every league match.
Murphy put on an impressive, dynamic display on his first start since the FA Cup defeat at Hillsborough in January. However, Almiron popped up with a late match-winner in what was a bright cameo off the bench. It presents an intriguing dilemma for Howe this Friday. Murphy might keep his spot on the right wing, with Almiron once again playing the impact sub role.
Howe may also stick with the menacing duo of Allan Saint-Maximin and Alexander Isak in the final third. The duo seems to have struck up an almost telepathic relationship, as the Frenchman always seems to know when and where Isak is about to make his move. While their link-up play did not result in any direct goals against Wolves, it was a constant threat. And the same will be the case against Forest.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn; Sean Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Saint-Maximin
Key Stats
- Newcastle United are unbeaten in all nine of their Premier League games against Nottingham Forest (W6 D3).
- The Magpies are undefeated in their last 13 Premier League games against newly-promoted sides (W6 D7).
- Nottingham Forest have conceded at least two goals in their last three Premier League matches.
- Nottingham Forest are unbeaten in their previous nine home games in the Premier League (W4 D5). They have kept four clean sheets along the way.
- Newcastle United’s rigid defense has shown some openings lately, failing to keep a clean sheet in their last seven games.
Player to Watch
Alexander Isak
The £60 million Swedish forward has looked really bright over the past few weeks and was at his electrifying best over the weekend against Wolves. Not only did Isak bag Newcastle’s opener with a brilliant header, but he also lifted his teammates and the crowd by producing a sparkling display for a team in need of inspiration.
It was really a coming-of-age performance for the big Swede, one that sees him become the Magpies’ primary number nine, displacing Callum Wilson. He was causing the Wolves backline all sorts of problems with his dynamic movement and sharp runs in the channels.
Isak’s tally of four Premier League goals is nothing to write home about at the moment. But he is leading his side’s charts for goals per 90 (0.52), making him Newcastle’s most clinical player. And the Magpies desperately require him to be efficient, given their profligacy up top. He will look to deliver another strong performance to stamp his authority on a starting striker berth under Eddie Howe.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Newcastle United
Nottingham Forest are likely to be missing some key players, especially Chris Wood and Brennan Johnson. The latter is their top scorer and has featured in every single one of their 26 league games.
It is not just his attacking production that makes him the star of the show at the City Ground. He is also crucial to how his team plays. So it is difficult to see how the hosts get anything out of this match without him in the starting XI.
With that in mind, The Hard Tackle predicts Newcastle United to record a comfortable 2-0 victory this Friday night as they look to rediscover the positive momentum and consistency they showed in the first half of the season.
