Paul Merson is worried about Newcastle United ahead of facing Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies are in Premier League action on Sunday, as they welcome Nottingham Forest to St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe needs a response from his players, as Newcastle’s performance against Manchester City was shocking.
They were beaten 4-0, as their Champions League aspirations took a hit. That makes this game even more important, as Nottingham Forest are above Newcastle United in the Premier League table.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 26 | 18 | 7 | 1 | 62 | 26 | 36 | 61 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 25 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 51 | 22 | 29 | 53 |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 25 | 14 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 29 | 12 | 47 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 25 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 52 | 35 | 17 | 44 |
| 5 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 44 | 29 | 15 | 43 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 25 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 47 | 34 | 13 | 43 |
| 7 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 42 | 33 | 9 | 41 |
It is going to be a very difficult game for the Magpies, as Elliot Anderson returns to St James’ Park.
Newcastle must also keep tabs on the in form Chris Wood, who has scored 18 Premier League goals this season. It is difficult to believe it is the same Chris Wood who played for Newcastle…
Paul Merson predicts Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest
While Newcastle can take confidence in the fact they have beaten Forest twice this season (once on penalties), Paul Merson is not expecting a Toon victory.
As part of his Premier League predictions for Sportskeeda, the former Arsenal attacker has backed Sunday’s game at St James’ Park to end in a draw.
“I was disappointed with Newcastle last week,” he said.
“They opened the game up against Manchester City thinking they are flying at the moment. Newcastle wanted City to have a go at them and they got demolished in the process!
“The thing with Newcastle is that at some point their players will start to think of the cup final. These players could go down like legends and that is too big a temptation to not keep an eye on. I turn 56 next month and I’ve never seen Newcastle lift a trophy! So the players will have one eye on making history and I don’t blame them for doing that because these games don’t come around very often.
“Nottingham Forest deserved to lose against Fulham. But they have always bounced back after defeats in the league this season. After suffering losses against Arsenal and Manchester City, they responded with wins. Forest must ensure they win again because I expect most teams close to them in the table to get three points this weekend.”
Merson’s prediction: Newcastle United 1 Nottingham Forest 1
Newcastle United’s record ahead of the 2023 Carabao Cup final
Merson makes a good point about the Carabao Cup final. It will be very easy for the players to get distracted by the looming lights of Wembley, as they aim to end the club’s incredible trophy drought.
But being distracted will ruin their Premier League form, which is exactly what Eddie Howe wants to avoid. Howe is approaching this cup final differently, having learned from the experience of 2023.
Ahead of that final two years ago against Manchester United, Newcastle suffered a dip in form.
There were three Premier League fixtures in between the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg and the final, and the Magpies failed to win any of them. Draws with West Ham United and Bournemouth were followed by a defeat to Liverpool.
What came next was defeat at Wembley, as Manchester United won 2-0.
Newcastle United need momentum going into this final, and they have four games left to build it up. After Forest, Newcastle play Liverpool and West Ham in the Premier League, with an FA Cup clash with Brighton sandwiched in between.
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