Kick-off: 2000, 17/03/2023
Stadium: City Ground
TV: Sky Sports
Newcastle are odds-on favourites to win at Nottingham Forest in Friday’s Premier League clash but recent stats do not back up that assessment.
The Magpies have gone four top-flight road trips without a win, while Forest are unbeaten in nine games at the City Ground in this division.
There are plenty of draws on both sides of that equation and 11/4 for a stalemate here is our first Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle prediction.
Reds relying on home form
On a weekend when five of the bottom six picked up points, Forest’s survival hopes were hit by a 3-1 loss at Tottenham.
The Reds were outplayed during the first half in London but did improve after the interval.
Fraser Forster had to make key saves to deny Serge Aurier and Emmanuel Dennis before Joe Worrall’s late consolation effort.
Andre Ayew failed to convert a penalty in stoppage time but Steve Cooper said: “First-half performance is really where the game was won and lost.
“I felt we didn’t compete well enough. Regardless of formation and players you play, those things don’t matter if you are not competing.
“I didn’t like us in the duals, in the one-v-ones and in the tackles. We just weren’t good enough in the first half.”
However, Forest have been a different proposition on home turf, securing 20 of their 26 points at the City Ground.
All five stalemates at this venue have been score draws, so 4/1 for that bet is worth the extra risk from the Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle odds.
Last Forest line-up: Navas, Worrall, Aurier, Lodi, Felipe, Mangala, Shelvey, Gibbs-White, Lingard, Freuler, Johnson.
Magpies in need of more spark
Newcastle gave their hopes of a top-four finish a much-needed boost when beating Wolves 2-1 at St James’ Park on Sunday.
Hwang Hee-chan cancelled out Alexander Isak’s first-half header but substitute Miguel Almiron grabbed a 79th-minute decider.
Eddie Howe told Sky Sports: “The first-half performance in general was very good. It should have been more at half-time.
“Wolves came back into the game, but the character shown by the group to go again and get the winning goal is a great feeling for us.”
The Magpies were the better team, but looked fortunate to get away with a key incident when the game was goalless.
Nick Pope appeared to bring down Raul Jimenez inside the penalty area after miscontrolling a back-pass.
However, he avoided a second red card in three games as referee Andy Madley waved play on and VAR official Tony Harrington agreed.
Newcastle had previously followed up draws against West Ham and Bournemouth by losing to Liverpool and Manchester City, with an EFL Cup final defeat splitting those games.
United haven’t quite shown the same kind of spark they had earlier on this season and 25/4 for a 1-1 draw is added to our Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle betting tips.
One other wager worth considering is 27/2 for the visitors to lead at half-time and then Forest to fight back for a draw.
That is what has happened in the Reds’ last three stalemates here against Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton!
Last Newcastle line-up: Pope, Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn, Willock, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Saint-Maximin, Isak, Murphy.
Additional stats
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