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2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 26
Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest
St James' Park
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Sunday, 23 February 2025
Kick-off is at 16h00
Nottingham Forest will be determined not to let their good work go to waste when they head north for a clash with Newcastle at St James' Park on Sunday, February 23.
The Tricky Trees have been the surprise package in the
Premier League this season, winning 14 of their opening 25 matches to be real contenders for UEFA Champions League football.
However, their fine run of form is threatening to unravel after losing two of their last five games and picking up seven points in the process.
A 2-1 defeat at Fulham on February 15 saw Nuno Espirito Santo's side slip six points behind Arsenal in third place and they are just three clear of Manchester City, who climbed back into the top four.
The Magpies' UEFA Champions League aspirations suffered another blow with a 4-0 demolision at the hands of the Citizens on February 15.
A third loss in four outings has left Eddie Howe's side three points shy of City in seventh position and they also face competition from Bournemough (5th) and Chelsea (6th).
Howe can take comfort from the fact that he has an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, with just Joelinton and Jamaal Lascelles (both knee) unavailable as Sven Botman (knee) could feature after missing the trip to Manchester.
Nuno is likely to be without Taiwo Awoniyi, who suffered a broken nose and a concussion against Exeter City in the FA Cup, while Carlos Miguel is rated doubtful with a thigh problem.
Howe conceded that his players gave City far too much space and lacked a competitive edge, insisting they need to get back to basics.
"We're very disappointed with our general performance. I expected us to be competitive. Off the ball, it wasn't there, we were off on our duels," he said.
"We're far from perfect. We have days where we can look far from the team we are when we're on it. We were much better in the second period but the game was gone.
"It was painful to watch from the sidelines, we were a yard off and allowed their players too much space. I know a lot has been made of their run but with the ball City are the best in the league. Back to basics for us next week."
Nuno acknowledges there are lessons to be learned from the defeat at Craven Cottage after Forest gave away too many free-kicks in dangerous positions.
"It was a tough game. First half, Fulham created a lot of problems, they were in control of the game," the Portuguese said. "We were able to go back in the game with Chris' [Wood] goal, he made it by himself.
"In the second half, we started well but we started losing duels and allowed too many set-pieces that caused problems.
"We rushed a little bit, there are so many things that I would do differently now, but now it's about looking at the game and preparing for the next one."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Newcastle wins - 4
Forest wins - 1
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 26 fixtures:
Friday, February 21
22h00: Leicester City v Brentford
Saturday, February 22
14h30: Everton v Manchester United
17h00: Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
17h00: Arsenal v West Ham United
17h00: Fulham v Crystal Palace
17h00: Ipswich Town v Tottenham Hotspur
17h00: Southampton v Brighton & Hove Albion
19h30: Aston Villa v Chelsea
Sunday, February 23
16h00: Newcastle United v Nottingham Forest
18h30: Manchester City v Liverpool
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