Sports
MATCH PREVIEW: Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest

Newcastle host Premier League new boys Nottingham Forest to kick-off the new 2022/2023 Premier League season.
Newcastle have ended their pre-season friendlies in good form with back-to-back home wins against Atalanta and Athletic Club. The Toon have had some stand-out performers in pre-season with Miguel Almirón netting 6 times and will be hoping to start against Forest on Saturday. Elliot Anderson, a player who was due to leave on loan this campaign, has taken his chance in pre-season with multiple impressive displays convincing Eddie Howe to keep him in the first-team picture.
Everyone associated with Newcastle knew that this summer would be a hectic one, with the new owners looking to improve every aspect of the current squad. So far, they have got three players through the door: Sven Botman, Nick Pope and former loanee Matt Targett. All three signings improve the starting 11 and will be pushing for a competitive debut or second debut in Targett’s case.
Championship Play-Off winners Nottingham Forest have returned to the Premier League after a 23-year absence and will be hoping to cause an upset at St James’ Park on the opening weekend.
Forest have been busy in the transfer market and have not been hesitant in spending their £170m prize for winning the Play-Off final last season. They have currently brought in 12 players and spent £73.6m in the process. Forest have most notably brought in the likes of Jesse Lingard, Neco Williams, Taiwo Awoniyi, Dean Henderson and Moussa Niakhaté.
Players To Watch:
Brennan Johnson
Johnson was one of the best performers in the Championship last campaign, with 16 goals and 9 assists in 46 games. The 21-year-old is predominantly deployed as a second striker or as a number 10 in Steve Cooper’s side.
The academy graduate has recently penned a new four-year deal this summer to fend off Premier League interest from the likes of Spurs and Newcastle.
Taiwo Awoniyi
The summer recruit from German side, Union Berlin will likely partner the previously mentioned Brennan Johnson in a top two for Forest on Saturday.
The Nigerian international arrives at the City Ground with a hefty £18m price tag. He had an impressive season in the Bundesliga last campaign with a 15-goal return from 31 games.
Jesse Lingard
Potentially, one of the more eyebrow-raising transfers that Forest have completed this summer is the capture of free agent, Jesse Lingard. The former Manchester United midfielder has been linked to several Premier League clubs this summer, including Newcastle before moving to the City Ground.
Lingard struggled to get into United’s team last season but has shown in previous seasons that he has got Premier League quality. Think back to the 20/21 season when Lingard moved to West Ham on loan and claimed 9 goals and 5 assists in just 16 Premier League games.
The 29-year-old has only played one pre-season friendly for Forest, meaning he won’t be at his peak fitness level. However, Steve Cooper may opt to start Lingard from the off despite his lack of fitness.
The Gaffer:
Steve Cooper, who took over Forest when they were bottom of the Championship last campaign, turned their season around with a 4th placed finish and earned promotion back to the Premier League.
Forest predominantly play 5-2-1-2 out of possession and a 3-4-1-2 in possession under Cooper, with a big emphasis on the production from the wing-backs. Djed Spence, who was on loan from Middlesbrough last season, was a huge part of the system at Forest in the right-wing-back position, but he opted to join Spurs instead of re-joining Forest this summer. However, the arrival of Nico Williams from Liverpool is a more than capable option to fill the gap left by Spence.
Cooper is a highly rated English coach and has previously managed England U16s and U17s before taking the reigns at Swansea City. During his time at The Swans, Cooper had two successive Play-Off finishes before leaving by mutual content over fears of what direction the club was taking.
Man In The Middle:
Swindon-born, Simon Hooper will be the man in charge of The Toon’s opening day fixture against Nottingham Forest.
The last time Hooper was in charge of a game involving Newcastle was in the 2020/2021 season when The Magpies’ suffered a 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Villa Park.
Team News:
Newcastle are set to be without central-midfielder Jonjo Shelvey who has a hamstring problem which could see him sidelined for 3-4 weeks.
Summer signings Sven Botman, Matt Targett and Nick Pope could all feature.
Forest will be without left-back Omar Richards, who arrived from Bayern Munich this summer.
Predicted Teams:
Newcastle: Pope, Trippier, Schär, Botman, Targett, Joelinton, Guimarães, Willock, Almirón, Saint-Maximin, Wilson
Nottingham Forest: Henderson, Worrall, Niakhate, McKenna, Williams, Toffolo, Yates, O’Brien, Lingard, Johnson, Awoniyi
Score Prediction:
The opening game of the season is always a tough game to predict, especially with Forest signing so many new players it’s difficult to know how they will all gel together so early on in the season.
That said, I think The Magpies will get off to a winning start and win the game 2-1, with Callum Wilson and Joe Willock getting the goals for The Toon.
Have Your Say
Who are you looking forward to seeing play on Saturday?
What are your score predictions?
Let us know on our Facebook page!
Featured
Newcastle United Fans Attacked in Paris by PSG fans – Trapped in pub!

Footage tonight has emerged of PSG fans corning Newcastle United fans in a pub and attacking them in a scary video. This follows news that police had informed Newcastle fans that attacks were possible which lead to at least one pub having to close at 10pm due to this.
We don’t have any details on what happened after the video and this is a breaking news story, follow us on social media to stay fully up to date.
You can see the video here:
YouTube – North East Updates (follow channel for more – won’t open video unless you have an account and over 18) – https://youtube.com/shorts/Uo_2G1WEuWg
X (formally Twitter) https://x.com/SupportersNufc/status/1729269902056493085?s=20
Newcastle fans who would you like to see be brought in or who is most realistic – follow for all Newcastle United news – Newcastle Supporters Worldwide
There will be videos added tomorrow both before and after the PGS game on the North East Updates Youtube channel – follow the channel to stay fully up to date and see below for previous NUFC vs PSG videos…
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PSG Fans arrive at Newcastle Upon Tyne and are met by Newcastle United fans ahead of their Champions League tie (which ended in a 4-1 Newcastle United win). Newcastle Centre was on shut down with streets closed and everyone watching.
The footage is not live and IN FULL on our Youtube Channel you can see the footage below – let us know on the comments on the video what your thoughts are on it….
We rather foolishly spoke to both NUFC and PSG fans after the game – we had to stop filming the interviewing of the PSG fans due to safety concerns see both videos below…
Follow our YouTube for some big local videos and to support us!
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We are supporting the Warm Christmas meal appeal – you can donate a warm Christmas meal to someone in need in Newcastle and the North East below..
Warm Christmas Meal Appeal North East – Help a Local Person in Need – NEoffers.co.uk
News
The Players Newcastle United could/should sign from Saudi

Newcastle United has received a green light to pursue players from the Saudi Pro League after a proposed Premier League vote to restrict loan moves between clubs with shared owners fell short of the required support. This decision opens up possibilities for Newcastle to strengthen their squad in January, targeting talents from clubs linked with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Despite initial discussions to potentially bar such transfers, the recent vote outcome has cleared the way for Newcastle to explore signings.
See our video and reaction below and follow our YouTube for more local videos..
A recent meeting among the Premier League’s 20 clubs concluded without the necessary majority support to impose a ban on loan transfers between co-owned clubs. While 13 teams voted in favor of the prohibition, the requirement of 14 votes for approval was not met, granting Newcastle the liberty to pursue players from the Saudi Pro League.
This development particularly benefits Newcastle’s pursuit of Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves, whom they’ve eyed as a potential replacement for Sandro Tonali. Neves, despite significant interest from the Premier League, is expected to remain with Al Hilal during the upcoming January transfer window. The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that despite ongoing speculation, Neves is content and settled at Al Hilal, playing a pivotal role within the team. His projected stay until the season’s end indicates his commitment to Al Hilal’s cause, especially crucial following Neymar’s injury.
Although ties between Newcastle and Al Hilal, sharing the same majority shareholder in Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), sparked concerns about potential rule changes, as of now, no alterations have been enforced. Speculation regarding a Premier League vote to block such moves in the winter market hasn’t materialized into action. Consequently, Neves looks set to continue his journey with Al Hilal, with no reported negotiations or approaches from interested parties.
Al Hilal’s impressive position atop the Saudi Pro League standings, coupled with their progress in tournaments like the AFC Champions League and the King’s Cup, further solidifies Neves’ integral role within the team. Their dominance, evident in their substantial lead over second-place Al Nassr, underscores their strength even with the latter boasting talents like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ultimately, Newcastle’s access to the Saudi Pro League remains unimpeded, potentially paving the way for significant acquisitions in the upcoming transfer window.
Al-Hilal
- Ruben Neves
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
- Aleksandr Mitrovic
Al-Nassr
- Seko Fofana
- Marcelo Brozovic
- Aymeric Laporte
Al-Ittihad
- N’Golo Kante
- Fabinho
- Jota
Al-Ahly
- Franck Kessie
- Gabri Veiga
- Riyad Mahrez
Newcastle fans who would you like to see be brought in or who is most realistic – follow for all Newcastle United news – Newcastle Supporters Worldwide
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News
Everton Get Record 10 Point Deduction!

Everton faced a significant setback as they incurred a 10-point deduction due to a breach of profit and sustainability regulations, marking the most substantial penalty in Premier League history. This plunge pushed Sean Dyche’s squad into the relegation zone, casting a shadow over their prior 14th position in the league, where they were holding an eight-point buffer from the bottom three.
This unprecedented deduction echoes only two prior instances in Premier League history. Middlesbrough faced a three-point penalty for failing to fulfill a fixture against Blackburn in 1996/97, while Portsmouth was stripped of nine points after entering administration in March 2010. Everton’s situation was referred to an Independent Commission by the Premier League in March over potential violations of profit and sustainability rules.
Amidst this, Everton voiced their intention to vigorously defend and strongly contest the charges before a hearing held last month. The specifics of the alleged breach have not been officially disclosed. However, insights from Sky Sports News suggest that the charges are linked to interest payments concerning the construction expenses for the club’s new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.
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