Will Newcastle secure eighth consecutive home league win at expense of struggling Forest?
Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest - 26/12/2023
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The traditional Premier League Boxing Day fixtures begin at St. James’ Park on Tuesday as Newcastle United host Nottingham Forest in the early kick-off.
Eddie Howe’s side find themselves seventh in the table – seven points shy of the top four – having lost three of their last four league matches.
At the opposite end of the standings, Forest occupy 17th place and sit just two points clear of the relegation zone, with six defeats coming in their previous seven games.
Newcastle head into Tuesday’s clash on the back of a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Luton Town, despite racking up 66% possession and 15 shots at Kenilworth Road.
The Magpies have now failed to win five of their last six matches across all competitions, dropping out of both the Champions League and EFL Cup as a result.
Still, Howe’s men have been immense on home soil this season, winning eight of their nine Premier League clashes at St. James’ Park.
Having won each of their previous seven home league games – conceding a solitary goal in the process – Newcastle will be confident of heaping more misery on struggling Forest.
As for the Tricky Trees, they parted company with Steve Cooper last week following a run of one victory in 13 matches, appointing Nuno Espirito Santo as his successor.
However, the new manager failed to make an instant impact at the City Ground, as Forest suffered a 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Reds have managed to win just six of their last 36 games across all competitions, underlining the team’s struggles.
Having won only one of their nine away league outings this season – conceding 19 goals along the way – Forest could find themselves in another relegation battle before too long.
Head-to-head: Newcastle did the double over Nottingham Forest last season, winning 2-0 at St. James’ Park before winning 2-1 at the City Ground.
To make matters worse for the Tricky Trees, they have managed to win just one of their previous five meetings with the Magpies across all competitions.
Team news: Newcastle’s extensive injury list contains Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Elliot Anderson, Javier Manquillo and Matt Target.
On the flip side, Forest are without injured striker Taiwo Awoniyi, while Felipe, Ibrahim Sangare and Serge Aurier are doubts. Plus, Willy Boly is suspended.
When you couple Newcastle’s strong record at St. James’ Park with Forest’s poor form, all the signs point towards a home victory on Boxing Day.
Forebet predicts that Newcastle United will score over 2.5 goals on their way to dispatching Nottingham Forest.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
EPL
671913
1
3 - 1
3.33
6°
1.50
1.50
4.33
5.75
no
no
no
1 - 3(1 - 1)
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