Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest will be eager to return to winning ways when they face off at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 26 of the 2024/25 Premier League season on Sunday. The action starts with Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest at St. James’ Park before the day ends with the marquee fixture between Manchester City and Liverpool at the Etihad.
Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest have been two of the most impressive teams in the Premier League this season. However, both sides have faltered in the last few weeks, winning only two of their last five top-flight outings.
Nottingham Forest suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage last week, with the result bringing the chasing pack in the top-four race closer to them. Newcastle United also slipped up on the same weekend, enduring a crushing 4-0 loss to Manchester City at the Etihad, dropping to seventh in the Premier League standings.
The reverse fixture saw Newcastle United come from a goal down to beat Nottingham Forest 3-1 at the City Ground. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
Eddie Howe has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Newcastle United manager will be bereft of the services of three first-team players vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Sven Botman and Joelinton are the most notable absentees, with the first-choice starts recovering from knee injuries. Jamaal Lascelles has a similar issue, although the veteran centre-back has been unavailable for nearly a year.
Martin Dubravka might get the nod over Nick Pope, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The backline should feature Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, and Lewis Hall.
As for the midfield unit, Sandro Tonali should hold the fort in the middle of the park, with Bruno Guimaraes and Joe Willock providing the forward thrust from the central areas. Finally, Alexander Isak will lead the line for Newcastle United against Nottingham Forest, with Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon
Nottingham Forest
Like his counterpart in the Newcastle United dugout, Nuno Espirito Santo has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to St. James’ Park. The Nottingham Forest manager will be without two first-team players on Sunday.
Carlos Miguel remains on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, while Taiwo Awoniyi has a broken nose that requires more time to heal. Neither player is close to returning to action anytime soon.
Matz Sels is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Nottingham Forest lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Newcastle United on Sunday. The backline should feature Ola Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo, and Neco Williams.
As for the midfield unit, Elliot Anderson should pair up with Danilo in the double pivot, with the duo looking to keep things tight in the middle of the park. Morgan Gibbs-White will reprise the no. 10 role, with Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi being the two wide attackers. Finally, Chris Wood will spearhead the Nottingham Forest attack against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Proable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Danilo, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood
Key Stats
- Nottingham Forest won 3-1 on Tyneside last season thanks to a Chris Wood hat-trick, ending a run of seven consecutive league defeats vs Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. That is their only victory in 13 Premier League games against Newcastle United (D3 L9).
- Newcastle United have lost three of their past four league matches, conceding ten goals in those three defeats. They could lose three consecutive Premier League home fixtures for the first time in four years.
- Nottingham Forest have lost back-to-back away league games, and they are in danger of losing three successive matches on the road for the first time since December 2023. The Tricky Trees have opened the scoring in 19 top-flight matches this season, more than any other side. However, they have lost five of their six fixtures when conceding the first goal.
- Newcastle United have dropped just seven points from winning positions this term, the joint second-best record in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Magpies have come from behind to claim 15 points, bettered by only Liverpool and Manchester City, before the latest round of fixtures.
- Alexander Isak has scored in all three Premier League appearances against Nottingham Forest, netting four goals in total. The Swedish international is two shy of 50 Premier League goals.
Player to Watch
Morgan Gibbs-White
While Alexander Isak and Chris Wood were viable targets for this section, we have picked Morgan Gibbs-White as our Player to Watch for Saturday’s game. The English playmaker is one of the most in-form players in the Premier League.
Gibbs-White has been directly involved in nine goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances, scoring four and assisting five times. Chris Wood will hope the Englishman is at his best so that his scoring run continues.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-2 Nottingham Forest
Recent results threaten to derail top-four bids for Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. So, Sunday’s clash will be a virtual “six-pointer” between two teams eager to seal qualification to the UEFA Champions League. However, with both teams showing a soft underbelly, the two offensive units will fancy their prospects.
Expect an end-to-end affair between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest. However, ultimately, there might not be much to separate the two teams. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw, a result that does no side any favours.
