Nottingham Forest 0-0 Newcastle United LIVE
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Welcome to our live blog coverage of Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United from the City Ground. After last week's morale-boosting win over Wolves at St James' Park, the Magpies know they can head into the international break in a strong position with a win tonight.
Forest have a strong home record however, so it won't be an easy task for Eddie Howe and Co. The United head coach must again consider who will make up his forward line, with Alexander Isak scoring against Wolves, and Miggy Almiron coming off the bench to bag the winner.
Callum Wilson will no doubt be pushing for a recall, while both Jacob Murphy and Allan Saint-Maximin will hope they have done enough to keep their place. Newcastle are again without the suspended Joelinton, while the back four is exected to remain unchanged, despite Matt Targett's return to fitness.
We'll have all the latest as it happens throughout the night.
20:26Matty Hewitt
Calamity at the back. Mistake from Botman and Forest capitalise through Dennis.
A really good finish from the Forest forward, chips the ball through a gap of Botman and Pope and then over the head of Trippier on the line.
20:23Matty Hewitt
Emmanuel Dennis goes into the book for a trip on Trippier. Forest fans incensed but he catches the Newcastle defender with the follow through.
20:18Matty Hewitt
First chance of the game for the hosts on 18 minutes. Brennan Johnson cuts in from the left and his swerving effort is gathered by Pope.
20:17Matty Hewitt
It's wave after wave of Newcastle attack but they're yet to find a way through. Forest can't get out of their own half.
20:14KEY EVENT
Trippier plays the resulting free-kick short to Isak, he shoots first time and it rolls into the path of Lodi who scuffs the ball onto his own crossbar.
20:13Matty Hewitt
Newcastle dominating the opening proceedings. Shelvey goes through the back of Guimaraes to give Newcastle a dangerous free-kick.
20:11Matty Hewitt
Almost a flare up on the touch line, Yates again involved with Willock. Neither player booked after a brief scuffle. This could be a battle to watch out for.
20:09Matty Hewitt
Another late challenge from Forest, this time Yates catches Willock and Newcastle have another dangerous free-kick. Three late challenges from the hosts inside the opening ten minutes.
20:08Matty Hewitt
Big chance falls to Willock, racing onto Jacob Murphy's low cross, but the Newcastle midfielder fires over the bar from in line with the penalty spot.
20:06Matty Hewitt
A stoppage in play with Schar down receiving treatment following Ayew's late challenge.
20:04Matty Hewitt
Early free-kick for Newcastle comes to nothing after Jonjo Shelvey brings down Guimaraes. The Magpies try to play a quick ball in behind but Navas gathers.
Kick-offMatty Hewitt
Here we go! We're off and running at the City Ground.
19:57Matty Hewitt
Nottingham Forest unbeaten at home in their last nine games. Can Newcastle end that run?
19:35Matty Hewitt
We know what position we're in at Forest, we're looking to build points and momentum and have a good strong end to the season. It starts tonight and you always want to go into the international break on a win or at least a positive result and that's what we're after tonight.
On finding a way past Newcastle tonight:
For me, it's about taking our time, as you said, they're probably one of the strongest, if not the best defence in the league this season. We need to take our time to work the ball round them and find a way. It's not going to be easy. They're a strong side. There's chinks in the armour that we've seen over time that we can hopefully capitalise on.
19:22Matty Hewitt
19:10KEY EVENT
It was an excellent performance I thought against Wolves. So yeah, backing the team to go and give a really good performance again.
19:08Matty Hewitt
A big summer ahead for Newcastle
Team newsMatty Hewitt
Team newsKEY EVENT
18:50KEY EVENT
Jamie Carragher believes Newcastle United will be right in the mix for the top-four come the end of the season and believes a Champions League finish is more likely that Nottingham Forest being relegated. The Tricky Trees are only two points above the Premier League bottom three having signed 30 players since the start of the campaign.
The Forest hierarchy showed their faith in boss Steve Cooper by giving him a new deal in a tough period earlier this season. Since then, the Welsh manager has guided them away from the bottom three, but they're in the midst of a poor run of form.
Nottingham Forest have already beaten Liverpool and taken a point against Manchester City at the City Ground earlier this season, but key man Brennan Johnson is set to miss the clash with the Magpies this evening.
You can read more here.
18:47Stuart Jamieson
Sportskeeda columnist Merson has backed a draw due to Forest’s impressive home record. He wrote: “This is a must-win game for both teams. The City Ground is not an easy place to go to and get a win, so this won't be straightforward for Newcastle.
“Eddie Howe's side have two games in hand over Tottenham. They are already in the running to secure a place in the top four but, with two wins, they can really put themselves in the thick of the action.
“The aim of Newcastle's project is to win stuff and, while they've had a good start, I think they should go out this summer and sign a handful of top-quality players. Liverpool and Chelsea have had nightmare seasons this time around but that's unlikely to happen in the 2023-24 campaign. The Magpies need to recruit bigger and better players to compete for major honours.
“The Eden Hazard's and the Neymar's won't really help move their project along - they are at that stage of their careers where they're not going to help you win anything. This game is hard to call.”
Prediction: Forest 1-1 Newcastle
18:39Matty Hewitt
The view from the opposition
18:32KEY EVENT
Newcastle United have been hit by another injury blow after Miguel Almiron was hurt in training on the eve of their clash against Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies will not send Almiron to Paraguay for the international break and the Paraguay FA say they have seen a video of the injury take place.
Paraguay boss Guillermo Barros Schelotto says he will stay with Newcastle over the next fortnight. Schelotto said: "Miguel Almiron was injured yesterday and will be out for three weeks and it is not necessary for him to come. We received the report from his club (Newcastle United) and we saw the video of the injury."
You can read more here.
Stuart Jamieson
Steve Cooper says it's 'unlikely' that Brennan Johnson will feature for Nottingham Forest when they welcome Newcastle United to the City Ground on Friday night.
Johnson was replaced in the 67th minute of Forest's 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur last weekend after sustaining a groin injury.
Although Johnson has been named in the latest Wales squad, he has since had a scan, and Cooper admits there is only a 'small chance' he will be available.
"The scan tells you something but you have to treat the player. It’s unlikely that Brennan will be involved at the weekend but there’s a small chance," Cooper said in his pre-match press conference.
"We want to give him every chance to see if he’s available and if he is, great, if not it’s just one of those things. I’m not completely ruling him out but at the same time when you walk off with a muscle injury it can take a bit longer than a week to recover."
READ MORE HERE
18:07Stuart Jamieson
Elliot Anderson was told to get ready to come on against Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend before the second half got complicated for Newcastle United.
At 1-0 it seemed like the 20-year-old was about to get a chance after the break before a flurry of Wolves changes and an equaliser for the visitors changed the course of the game. Thankfully, Newcastle pushed on to win it through a substitution of their own as Miguel Almiron came off the bench to score at St James' Park.
It has proved to be a difficult season for Anderson in some ways after he was pulled back from joining Luton Town or West Brom on loan in the summer. Back in the summer, Howe pledged to give Anderson his opportunity in the Premier League but his only start came vs Liverpool on the day Nick Pope was sent off, prompting an early withdrawal for the Whitley Bay lad.
When asked about Anderson's development ahead of the final 13 matches, Howe said: "He's had a good couple of weeks in training, I'd say.
“I'm sure if you asked him, he'd say he's had a frustrating season to this point, because he's had a number of little niggly injuries, nothing serious, in the early part of the season which really restricted his time on the pitch.
"Now he's come back to full fitness, and he's been fit for a while, so he's now built that resilience in his body. He looks in a good place, he's certainly going to be needed, and he's going to get opportunities between now and the end of the season."
READ MORE HERE
Stuart Jamieson
Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar has been left out of the Switzerland squad for clashes against Belarus and Israel.
The Swiss FA claim that Schar has not been selected due to being "injured" ahead of Newcastle's clash with Nottingham Forest. Schar missed the 2-0 defeat against Man City after a head wound suffered at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final but returned against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Schar's injury was not mentioned in today's Press conference and he was pictured training yesterday, it remains to be seen whether he is around at the City Ground tomorrow night. A Swiss FA statement read: "Compared to the World Cup squad, Fabian Schär, Fabian Frei (both injured)."
Reports in Switzerland also say Schar has chosen to stay on Tyneside because of a foot injury.
Stuart Jamieson
Eddie Howe has welcomed Newcastle United's search for elite scouts across the globe because the club's success 'depends on recruitment'.
Newcastle have cast the net wide for talent spotters living in or within travelling distance of seven geographical clusters in Europe and South America. These include France; Germany, Holland and Belgium; Spain and Portugal; Italy, Switzerland and Croatia; Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark and Serbia; Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador; and Argentina and Uruguay.
According to the job advert, the scouts will act as 'ambassadors' for the club in their specific region, leading on the identification and assessment of 'emerging talent and first-team targets'. They will ultimately recommend 'appropriate high quality talent' in line with the club's strategy.
This investment in the club's scouting network could end up saving Newcastle millions in transfer fees in the long run if the Magpies manage to spot talents before they truly explode in value. That is certainly something Howe can get behind.
"Your football club's success depends on recruitment," the Newcastle boss told reporters. "It's that important. Who you bring into your football club really dictates everything that happens afterwards.
"I'm not involved in the structure of how we set up those departments. That's other people's jobs, but I'll certainly welcome any changes that are positive for what we do."
FULL STORY
17:14Stuart Jamieson
Steve Cooper has admitted he's spoken with Jonjo Shelvey and Chris Wood to try and get an advantage over Newcastle United. The two former Magpies made the move to the City Ground, hoping to keep Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
The duo played a key par in Eddie Howe's Toon resurgence last year, but made the move to Nottingham in the recent January transfer window. Both players are still highly thought of at St. James' Park and although they may have an insight into both camps, Cooper isn't letting that be the sole factor for any game plans this weekend.
When asked if he'd leant on Shelvey and Wood for some insight, Cooper said: "Yeah, of course it's a normal thing to do, at the same time all teams look at each other now and you can get so much footage and analysis and data that you can put extensive plans together on what you think the opponent might be. At the same time, you've got to go an play your own game and be yourself as well which is always our main focus."
17:04KEY EVENT
Miguel Almiron is out for three weeks due to an injury suffered in training hence why he has not been called up to the Paraguay national team for their upcoming friendly against Chile later this month. #NUFC https://t.co/R0GjIANXgI
— Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) March 17, 2023VIDEOArash Bahrami
Gareth Southgate explained his decision to include Kieran Trippier for the upcoming international fixtures later this month.
