Team news
Newcastle defender Sven Botman will miss a third consecutive game with a knee problem.
Joelinton and Jamaal Lascelles are also still sidelined by knee injuries.
Taiwo Awoniyi returns for Nottingham Forest after missing out last weekend following a concussion in the FA Cup fourth round, though the striker will wear a protective mask, having also broken his nose in a collision against Exeter City.
Carlos Miguel remains absent after injuring his hamstring against the League One club but the back-up goalkeeper is expected to be the visitors' only absentee.
Match facts
Head-to-head
Nottingham Forest won 3-1 on Tyneside last season thanks to a Chris Wood hat-trick, ending a run of seven consecutive league defeats at St James' Park.
That is their only victory in 13 Premier League games against Newcastle (D3, L9).
Newcastle United
The Magpies have lost three of their past four league matches, conceding 10 goals in those three defeats.
They are at risk of losing three consecutive Premier League home fixtures for the first time in four years.
Eddie Howe's side kept clean sheets in their final four league games of 2024 but have just one shut-out in six top-flight matches this calendar year.
They have dropped just seven points from winning positions this term, the joint second best record in the league, and have come from behind to claim 15 points – bettered by only Liverpool and Manchester City, prior to the latest round of fixtures.
Alexander Isak has scored in all three of his league appearances against Nottingham Forest, netting four goals in total.
Isak is two shy of 50 Premier League goals.
Nottingham Forest
Forest have lost back-to-back away league games and are in danger of losing three in a row on the road for the first time since December 2023.
The Reds have opened the scoring in 19 top-flight matches this season, more than any other side, but have lost five of their six fixtures when conceding the first goal.
They have kept 10 Premier League clean sheets this term, a figure matched only by Liverpool, and have committed just 11 errors leading to shots, the lowest total in the competition.
Former Newcastle striker Chris Wood has scored 29 Premier League goals in 41 appearances under Nuno Espirito Santo, with a shot conversion rate of 35%.
Morgan Gibbs-White has been directly involved in nine goals in his last 11 Premier League appearances, scoring four and assisting five.
