Nottingham Forest welcome Newcastle United to the City Ground for an all-Premier League clash in the second round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday.
Both have made strong starts in the league with four points apiece after two games, and the two will look to repeat the long runs they had in this competition during the 2022-23 season.
Match preview
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Forest have taken advantage of some favourable fixtures to start the season and currently find themselves in the top seven in the early stages.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side were just minutes from an opening day win over Bournemouth, but they did manage to see out a 1-0 scoreline over Southampton on Saturday.
Truth be told, Forest were dominant from start to finish against the Saints, while having just 35% possession, as they still managed to outshoot their opponents 23 to five, and registered an xG almost two higher despite having just over one-third of the play.
With Wolverhampton Wanderers to come next, a side reeling from a 6-2 defeat at the weekend, Forest will feel confident of continuing that run.
Cup matters take over for the time being though, and Nuno will be looking to mastermind a similar run to the one the Forest faithful enjoyed 18 months ago, when they reached the EFL Cup semi-finals.
Manchester United ended their cup dreams on that occasion, but last season paled in comparison, as Burnley knocked Forest out in the second round, their sixth defeat at that stage this century.
Early round exits have been common for Forest, as they also exited at the first round stage six times across the same timescale when they were an EFL side.
Newcastle are a side they have enjoyed success over in this competition though, as they knocked the Magpies out in consecutive seasons at this stage back in 2017 and 2018.
Eddie Howe was a beaten finalist with Newcastle in 2023, losing to the same Man United side that had defeated Forest in the semis, and a penalty shootout defeat at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea saw them knocked out in the quarter-finals last season.
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After their Champions League escapades last season, Newcastle are back in the second round this time, a round in which they have been eliminated four times since 2017 - twice against Forest.
There is no doubt Newcastle will need to improve if they want to sustain a challenge in both league and cup though, as the side has been quite fortunate to be on four points so far.
Southampton squandered numerous chances in their season opener as the Magpies came away with a 1-0 win despite playing over an hour with 10 men, before a dubious VAR call came to their rescue to deny Bournemouth's Dango Ouattara a late winner at the Vitality on Sunday.
Howe's men did improve in the latter stages on the South Coast and could have won it themselves which will be encouraging, while Anthony Gordon got off the mark for the campaign with their equaliser - a player who will be crucial if they are to be successful this season.
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Team News
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Danilo remains Forest's only injury absentee after his awful ankle break in the draw with Bournemouth, as Nuno has a full squad to choose from apart from the Brazilian.
Taiwo Awoniyi could be given a start as he looks to build more match fitness after recent injury troubles, while the exciting Jota Silva could also be given his full debut.
Ryan Yates and Willy Boly both dropped to the bench for the trip to St Mary's on Saturday but could be reintroduced to the starting XI here, if Nuno opts to rotate.
Sandro Tonali's ban for breaching gambling rules ends this week, so the Italian will be available for selection, but his severe lack of match sharpness could see Howe opt against utilising their big-money signing from the start.
Injuries and suspensions continue to plague the side elsewhere though, especially in defence, as Fabian Schar will serve the second game of his three-match ban here after his headbutt on Ben Brereton Diaz.
Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles remain out injured, while youngster Lewis Miley is also missing in midfield, so Newcastle may not make many changes for this trip to Nottingham.
Nottingham Forest possible starting lineup:
Carlos Miguel; Williams, Boly, Omobamidele, Toffolo; Dominguez, Yates; Jota Silva, Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi; Awoniyi
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Vlachodimos; Trippier, Kelly, Burn, Hall; Willock, Bruno Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Osula, Barnes
We say: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Newcastle United
Fewer first team and squad players available may force Howe to field a strong Newcastle side here, and that could be to their advantage as they look to avenge Forest for those two second round cup defeats in the late 2010s.
The hosts have made a good start in the league, but they will certainly face a sterner test here than the one offered to them by Southampton at the weekend.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
