Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest meet at St James’ Park on Sunday, both looking to recover from recent setbacks in their quest for European football. The Magpies were comprehensively beaten 4-0 by Manchester City, while Forest suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
Eddie Howe’s side has struggled in recent weeks, winning just one of their last four league games. Their only victory came against bottom-placed Southampton, and their home form has also dipped with back-to-back losses at St James’ Park. A third successive home defeat would mark their worst such run since 2021.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s ambitions of challenging at the top have taken a hit following consecutive away defeats. Despite this, they remain firmly in the top-four mix and will look to bounce back with a strong showing. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men will be encouraged by their previous visit to Newcastle, where they secured a 3-1 victory on Boxing Day 2023.
Team News:
Newcastle avoided fresh injury concerns against Man City but remain without Joelinton, Jamaal Lascelles, and Sven Botman due to knee injuries. Alexander Isak, despite failing to score in his last two games, has netted in all three previous meetings with Forest.
Forest welcomed Callum Hudson-Odoi back from injury last time out, and his return could see a switch back to a 4-2-3-1 formation. Taiwo Awoniyi has cleared concussion protocol, but goalkeeper Carlos Miguel remains sidelined with a hamstring issue. Matz Sels, however, continues to lead the Golden Glove race with 10 clean sheets this season.
Predicted Lineups:
Newcastle United: Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Longstaff; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Nottingham Forest: Sels; Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams; Danilo, Anderson; Elanga, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Wood.
