Newcastle United travel to the City Ground on May 10 for their Premier League MD 36 fixture against Nottingham Forest.
Eddie Howe’s side enters the match following a 3-1 home win over Brighton & Hove Albion, ending a four-game league losing run and a five-game losing skid across all competitions.
Newcastle sit three points and three positions above Nott Forest in the table and only need one point from their remaining fixtures to secure Premier League survival, which was pretty much confirmed with last
weekend’s victory.
Before beating Brighton, however, Newcastle was still looking for answers, having lost a ton of matches and facing serious trouble of getting into an unlikely, but still there, relegation battle. Not anymore, one could say, let alone with Tottenham and West Ham not looking very dangerous.
Defensive absences will remain an issue for the Magpies, with Tino Livramento and Fabian Schar both done for the season. Lewis Miley will also miss all remaining matches after suffering a fractured fibula mid-week.
On the positive side, Kieran Trippier is expected to feature in the remaining matches as he completes his farewell tour ahead of his summer departure. Anthony Gordon could very well be doing the same, as he’s bound for Munich in July and has returned to the squad after injury, while Harvey Barnes is pushing for a starting role after scoring against Brighton. Howe’s new favorite son, Will Osula, should be expected to lead the frontline.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, arrive into the match following a Europa League semi-final exit at the hands of Aston Villa, but it must be said they have recorded three consecutive Premier League wins.
Nott Forest are unbeaten in their last seven league matches and sit five points above the relegation zone, not safe but not quite there. Forest could confirm survival with a win depending on other results, although they have several injury concerns, including Willy Boly, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Nicolo Savona.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On Miley’s injury…
“It was a really innocuous moment, training on Tuesday. There was no other player involved. He was unable to continue and it was a little more serious than we thought.
“The surgery went well, he now faces a few months out, we hope he will be back in and around pre-season. It is a shame as he was playing well, outstanding in recent weeks and we really missed him.
“A real blow for us but also for Lewi It’s been a huge frustration for him.”
On Livramento’s progress…
“Tino is doing well. He is improving, back running on the grass, but I don’t think he will be back this season.
“We could maybe push him for the Fulham game but that would feel silly. We will let him recover and get a good summer behind him.”
On Schär…
“We’re not 100% sure. His situation was slightly unique. He was very close to returning to full fitness and got an infection.
“He’s building up his strength and resilience again. He’s looking a lot more positive in his body at the moment.
“Whether or not he’s going to be fit enough to take to the pitch again between now and the end of the season, let’s wait and see.”
On Nick Woltemade, who scored in October’s reverse fixture against Nottingham Forest…
“Nick’s fine. There’ll be a sense of disappointment because everyone wants to play.
“Nick’s been training well. Since we’ve returned to team training, I think it’s been good for him and a lot of the other new players. It’s really helped them have a greater understanding of what we want them to do.
“I’m very impressed by all of their attitudes. He’s committed, we really value him and want him to do well.”
On Nottingham Forest, who were knocked out of the Europa League semi-finals last night…
“They have done very well; they have a strong squad of players and have responded to the challenges of domestic and European football well.
“They have built some good momentum to their game. We know it will be a tough game, always difficult going to the City Ground. We are going to have to be at our best.”
On Will Osula, who has scored four goals in his last six Premier League appearances…
“He’s got really rich potential. He’s outstandingly quick, powerful and scores goals with both feet so he’s got a array of different scoring techniques that he can use.
“He’s willing to learn and improve. I love that about him. From day one here, he’s put a lot of work in his game and is very committed to that process.
“He’s, generally, got a really good attitude to football. He enjoys the game, wants to play and is a very positive guy. It’s great to see him doing well and I’ve seen how hard he’s had to work to get that success.
“Now he’s in the team and doing well, he’s got to make sure he sticks to those processes that have worked for him.”
Howay!
- Date: Sunday, May 10th
- Kick-off: 14:00 BST / 8:00 EST
- Location: City Ground, Nottinghamshire (England)
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