Newcastle United’s forward line could look very different when they face Nottingham Forest this weekend.
The Magpies head to the City Ground on Saturday evening for a 5:30pm kickoff, with Anthony Taylor due to referee the game.
Eddie Howe‘s side will be out for revenge after what happened on Boxing Day. Nottingham Forest beat Newcastle 3-1 at St James’ Park on December 26th, with former Toon striker Chris Wood netting a hat-trick.
But he will miss Saturday’s game due to injury, while Newcastle have major fitness concerns of their own.
With that in mind, this is the predicted Newcastle starting XI that we think Eddie Howe will go with against Nottingham Forest
Dan Burn starts against Nottingham Forest
The big decision that Howe needs to make this weekend involves Dan Burn. The 31-year-old endured a torrid afternoon against Luton Town, with lots of Toon fans calling for the lanky left-back to be substituted.
They eventually got their wish, with Tino Livramento coming on after Luton Town made it 4-2.
A lot of fans want to see Livramento start ahead of Burn, but it is difficult to envision Howe making that change this weekend. The Newcastle boss is incredibly loyal to the Geordie defender, and that feels likely to continue on Saturday.
Two changes to the Newcastle attack as Jacob Murphy drops to the bench
It looks all but certain that there will be changes to Newcastle’s forward line against Nottingham Forest. That is largely down to Anthony Gordon sustaining an ankle injury in the first half of the draw with Luton.
The 22-year-old feels likely to miss out this weekend, which should allow Callum Wilson to start for the first time since December 23rd.
But we are also anticipating another change, with Harvey Barnes coming in to take Jacob Murphy’s place. The £12million man has played a lot of minutes since returning from a shoulder injury, and massively struggled against Luton.
In contrast, Barnes looked sharp on his return. He netted Newcastle’s equaliser in the 4-4 draw, and will hope to add to his tally on what could be just his third ever Toon start.
Predicted XI vs Forest: Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Bruno, Miley; Almiron, Wilson, Barnes.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
