Even though they lost again, Nottingham Forest can still feel somewhat optimistic following their performance against Bournemouth, even though they may not have found their winning formula yet under their new boss.
At the City Ground on Saturday, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team faced one of the Premier League’s top teams and despite having one less player due to Willy Boly’s dismissal, they ran them close. Even though the Ivorian made contact with the ball during a tackle on Adam Smith, he was given an absurd second yellow card.
Thus, don’t be shocked if Nuno starts with a lineup akin to this on Boxing Day versus Newcastle—minus the suspended Boly, of course.
With former manager Steve Cooper frequently making lineup changes, Forest needs consistency in their starting lineups. This made sense given the size of the Reds’ team and the necessity to experiment during a losing streak.
The Reds play Newcastle just three days after hosting Bournemouth, so like most clubs, Forest has a busy Christmas schedule. However, Nuno might be inclined to use a lineup that is identical to the one that played the Cherries for this match.
Even though they only had 10 men against Bournemouth, the Reds will need their players to defend far better than they did against the Seahawks at St. James’ Park. Eddie Howe’s team will be coming for them.
Though the striker will have been relieved to score against the Cherries, don’t expect Chris Wood to start against his old team unless Nuno is looking for a forward who can hold the ball up from the opening whistle. With the intention of sitting in and hitting Howe’s team on the break, Forest’s counterattack strategy is probably going to rely more on Anthony Elanga’s pace up front.
Predicted Forest XI: Turner; Williams, Murillo, Niakhate, Toffolo; Aina, Yates, Mangala, Dominguez; Gibbs-White, Elanga.
