Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest
English Premier League, KO: 14:00 Feb 23, 2025, St James' Park
Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest are in the thick of the fight for a top-four Premier League finish so the stakes are high as they prepare to collide at St James' Park.
Forest have been the surprise package of the season in the top flight and find themselves sitting third after starting the season as fourth favourites in the odds for Premier League relegation.
It would be an incredible story if Nuno Espirito Santo's side held on to claim a Champions League place but several clubs are snapping at their heels, including seventh-placed Newcastle.
Eddie Howe's men crashed to a disappointing 4-0 defeat at Manchester City last time out, busting the coupon of our man Andy after he backed them to claim a point.
But they are still just six points behind Forest so a win here would fire them right back into contention for a seat at Europe's top table next term.
The Magpies follow this game up with a tough midweek trip to Anfield so they need to make home advantage count as they try to reel in Forest.
How the bookies view it: Magpies odds-on favourites
Despite sitting above Newcastle United in the table, Nottingham Forest are 3/1 outsiders with BoyleSports for a win at St James' Park. The Magpies are 3/4 hot favourites and the draw pays 11/4.
Recent head to head: Forest seeking St James' spark
Forest won on their last trip to St James' Park as Chris Wood netted a hat-trick in a 3-1 win. But that's their only victory in the last six meetings and Newcastle beat them on penalties in the EFL Cup earlier this season before winning 3-1 at the City Ground in the Premier League.
Players to watch: Jacob's a cracker
Red-hot Newcastle striker Alexander Isak is odds-on for anytime scorer so it's best looking elsewhere for a bit of value. Winger Jacob Murphy has two goals from his last four outings and is 10/3 to add to that tally. He's also a decent 21/20 with Bet365 to either score or assist.
It's hard to look past top scorer Wood for a Forest goal after his heroics last time out at St James' Park. The Kiwi sits on 24 goals for the season and is 9/4 to keep his hot streak going.
Probable line-ups
Newcastle are still without key midfielder Joelinton while defenders Jamaal Lascalles and Sven Botman are also sidelined with injury.
Forest's squad is also pretty healthy right now, with only striker Taiwo Awoniyi and keeper Carlos Miguel carrying injuries.
Newcastle United: Pope, Livramento, Burn, Schar, Hall, Guimaraes, Tonali, Longstaff, Murphy, Gordon, Isak.
Nottingham Forest: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Williams, Anderson, Sangare, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi, Elanga, Wood
Anything else catch the eye?
Nottingham Forest have been involved in some thrillers of late, with their last five matches all seeing over 2.5 goals and four of those matches seeing at least four strikes. So it bodes well for a decent spectacle and combining BTTS with over 2.5 goals takes you to 20/21 at BoyleSports.
Santo will likely follow the same blueprint that saw him claim a 3-1 win on his last visit to St James' Park. Newcastle won 10-2 on the corner count that day so it could pay to back them at -2.5 in the corner handicap, which pays 13/10 at BoyleSports. Over 6.5 Magpies flag kicks also appeals at 11/10.
There's not much between these teams and they're both in similar form so it should be a close one. That makes the half-time draw worth a look at 5/4 with BoyleSports.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest will be played on Feb 23, 2025 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs Nottingham Forest prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
