Newcastle’s hopes to close the seven-point gap between them and the top four will be put to the test as they take on Nottingham Forest in the Premier League’s early kick-off on Boxing Day. Despite their recent struggles, Newcastle has only lost once at St. James’ Park in league action this season. Forest, on the other hand, continue to struggle on the road with just one away league win from nine matches.
The injury-stricken Magpies suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at Luton on Saturday, marking their fifth defeat in six games in all competitions. Forest, meanwhile, couldn’t make a winning start to the Nuno Espirito Santo era as they were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth. They currently sit just two points above the relegation zone.
Newcastle are hopeful of welcoming Joelinton back into the fold after the Brazilian missed recent clashes with Chelsea and Luton due to a hamstring injury. However, the potential absence of Jamaal Lascelles, who was substituted in the first half of the Luton defeat, could mean a first Premier League start for Sven Botman.
In addition to Joelinton and Lascelles, Newcastle will also be without Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes, Javier Manquillo, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Matt Targett, and Nick Pope due to injuries, while summer signing Sandro Tonali remains suspended.
Forest, on the other hand, couldn’t overcome the red card Willy Boly was somewhat unjustly shown in the dramatic 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth. The former Wolves defender will serve a one-game suspension for the upcoming match. Nuno may also be without former Atletico Madrid centre-back Felipe, who is still recovering from a muscle problem, while Ibrahim Sangare and Serge Aurier are hopeful of returning in time for the trip to St. James’ Park. Striker Taiwo Awoniyi remains a long-term absentee and isn’t expected back until March.
Due to their injured and burnt out players, things aren’t looking great for Newcastle right now. However, they remain strong at home and key attacking personnel like Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon should thrive against a Forest defence that has conceded 33 goals so far this season. With the odds seemingly stacked against them, it could be an ideal time for Forest to attempt to steal some points from St. James’ Park on Boxing Day.
With the stage set for an exciting clash, fans in the United Kingdom can catch the action on Amazon Prime Video, while those in the United States can tune in on nbcsports.com, USA Network, and the NBC Sports App. Canadian viewers can stream the match live on fuboTV Canada.
