Newcastle United will be looking for a repeat of last season’s dramatic win away to Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.
The Magpies head to the City Ground looking for revenge, having lost to Nottingham Forest already this season. Eddie Howe’s side were beaten 3-1 on Boxing Day, with Chris Wood coming back to haunt his former club with a hat-trick.
This time Newcastle will be on the road, heading to a ground where they won at last season. It was a huge victory for the Magpies, as they came from behind to win 2-1 as they continued their charge towards Champions League qualification.
Alexander Isak was Newcastle’s hero that night, scoring a last-minute penalty to secure all three points. However, it looks like he will not be involved this weekend.
Newcastle are also going to be without Anthony Gordon, which is a big blow. It is going to be a tough game without the 22-year-old, and it is one that Chris Sutton expects to end in a draw.
Chris Sutton says Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle will be a draw
As part of his weekly Premier League predictions for BBC Sport, Chris Sutton has tipped Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United to end in a 2-2 draw.
“I really don’t know how to judge Newcastle at the moment, good or bad,” he said.
“They got such an impressive result away from home against Aston Villa but ended up having to fight back for a point at home to Luton a few days later.
“Eddie Howe’s side are conceding a lot of goals – including when Chris Wood scored a hat-trick for Nottingham Forest against them at St James’ Park a few weeks ago – and they are another team where I just don’t know what we are going to get.
“Forest needed penalties to get past Bristol City in the FA Cup this week and they are still waiting for their first win of 2024. The obvious result here is a draw, so I am going to go with that.”
Newcastle are so difficult to predict right now
Sutton has played it safe in going for a draw, but it is understandable. As he says, Newcastle are just so unpredictable at the moment.
They were immense against Aston Villa, and everyone expected them to follow it up with another win at the expense of Luton Town. Instead, they had to come from 4-2 down to rescue a point.
On top of that, Newcastle’s away form is not great this season. They have only won five away games in all competitions this season, although they have triumphed in their last three – so maybe Howe’s side have turned a corner.
With all things considered, a draw is not a bad prediction. However, it would be a result that would do Newcastle no favours as they look to qualify for Europe – be it the Champions League or otherwise.
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