AliousNewcastle United suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat against Manchester City last weekend, leaving them eager to erase that painful memory with a positive result. However, their upcoming challenge won’t be any easier, as they face a Nottingham Forest side that currently sits higher in the Premier League table than Manchester City—yes, you read that correctly.
The Magpies will host Forest at St. James’ Park on Sunday, February 23, at 2 PM UK time. Despite their position in the standings, oddsmakers still favor Newcastle, giving them a 53% chance of winning compared to Forest’s 23%, with a 24% probability of a draw.
Nottingham Forest, currently third in the league with 47 points, have had an inconsistent run of form (DWLWL). Meanwhile, Newcastle sit in seventh place with 41 points, coming off a patchy stretch of results (WLWLL). Despite the gap, the expectation is that Newcastle will bounce back at home.
In terms of team news, Newcastle have three injury concerns, all involving knee issues. Sven Botman could return next week, Joelinton is expected back in mid-March, and Jamal Lascelles is aiming for a late April or early May return. Other than that, there are no fresh updates on the squad.
Expected starting XI:
**Martin Dubravka; Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall; Lewis Miley, Sean Longstaff, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes; Callum Wilson, Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak.**
Football is an unpredictable game, and while Newcastle are the favorites on paper, Nottingham Forest’s strong league position suggests this could be a much closer contest than many expect.
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