Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest

The stakes are high for Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest as they lock horns in a heavily anticipated Premier League fixture at St James’ Park.

Newcastle United’s pursuit of a second top-four Premier League finish in three years has taken a series of hits, with the Magpies losing three of their last four league outings (W1), more than in their 12 prior games! As a result, they commence this round six points adrift of third-placed Nottingham Forest and can ill afford another slip-up if they’re to stay relevant in the top-four picture. However, Eddie Howe’s charges are staring down the barrel of a three-game losing top-flight streak for the first time since January 2024 following a dismal 4-0 rout at Manchester City last weekend. Furthermore, a defeat here would see Newcastle lose three Premier League home fixtures on the trot for the first time since 2021! 

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest followed up their biggest-ever top-flight win over Brighton (7-0) with a disheartening 2-1 loss to Fulham, heightening the pressure on themselves ahead of this potentially season-defining contest. Delivering action from the get-go, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have opened the scoring in a league-high 19 Premier League games this season. However, conceding the opening goal could be an issue, considering they’ve lost five out of six when the opposition drew first blood! Beating Newcastle 3-1 in this corresponding fixture last term inspires confidence as they bid to end a poor run of consecutive away league losses via an aggregate score of 7-1.