England Premier League
Friday 17th March 2023
Kick off at 8pm GMT
Venue: City Ground
Match Preview:
It’s been six weeks since Nottingham Forest won a league game and manager Steve Cooper will be well aware that his side are under pressure and that a relegation threat is a real possibility. Currently the club are in 14th place but that means little given how close the teams are from 12th down and there is just a 2 point difference between Forest and 18th placed Bournemouth.
Recent form has not been encouraging for Forest with just 2 points earned from their last 15 and last weekend Cooper’s side fell to their 12th defeat of the season with a 3-1 loss at Tottenham. From their 26 points won this season 20 have come at home and so the team will be happy to be playing at the City Ground and on an Friday evening the club will expect quite a roaring atmosphere in their favour. At home Forest have lost just three games so far and have won 5 and drawn 5 and for a club who were expected to go straight back down they remain undefeated at home this year. The clubs last two games at home have ended in draws against Everton and more impressively against the current champions Manchester City.
Newcastle are aiming for a top four finish and they ended a four game run of no wins by beating Wolves 2-1 last weekend at home. It was an important victory which reestablished the Magpies in 5th place. Victory here would not see them over take 4th placed Tottenham as they trail the London club by four points but Eddie Howe’s side have two games in hand and cannot afford to lose this one. Newcastle have only lost 3 games so far and their solid season has been threatened over the past month of going south quick. On current form they would rank in 9th place and Howe will be hoping that his side can regain their form.
On the road Newcastle have not been as convincing as one would like with the majority of their games ending in draws, indeed it stands at 50%. The clubs last away game ended in a 2-0 loss against Manchester City and it’s been no wins away from home since the club beat Leicester on Boxing Day. The good news? Alongside league leaders Arsenal Newcastle has the best defence away from home with just 9 goals conceded.
Team News:
Nottingham Forest: Dean Henderson remains sidelined with a thigh injury, Wayne Hennessey will be assessed due to a knee problem. Brennan Johnson is set to miss the next two weeks although his absence has not been confirmed. Chiekou Kouyate will be assessed due to a lack of match fitness Chris Wood cannot face his parent club and Scott McKenna won’t return for at least two weeks due to his hamstring.
Newcastle: Harrison Ashby looks set to miss out due to a hamstring injury, Anthony Gordon is out with an ankle injury and not due back until next month. Joelinton is suspended due to picking up his tenth yellow card of the season.
Nottm Forest vs Newcastle Head to Head:
The clubs last met here in 2018 in the EFL Cup in which Nottingham Forest won 3-1.
It’s been 12 years since Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest away from home although the clubs have only faced each other in 3 games at the City Ground in that time.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture Newcastle won 2-0.
Nottm Forest vs Newcastle Prediction:
Nottingham Forest will be the underdogs and in the majority of games played this season they have been so. And yet Forest have had a recent solid record at home and many observers will be feeling that the home side are going to make life difficult for the Magpies.
Newcastle haven’t been convincing away from home this season and four wins isn’t going to cut it. However Forest have some key players out in Chris Wood and Brennan Johnson and Johnson with the recent form he has been showing is the big miss. We will back Newcastle to get the win but Eddie Howe will have to set up his team to give a solid and professional performance, and if the club can keep their shape they will be right back in the mix again after a month to forget.
Nottm Forest vs Newcastle Betting Tips:
Newcastle to beat Nottingham Forest at 1.62
Anytime goalscorer: Miguel Almiron at 3.25
Over 2.5 goals at 2.05
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