A tantalising Premier League double-header on Sunday afternoon gets going with Nottingham Forest's trip to the north-east to face Newcastle United at St James' Park (14:00).
Forest make this trip in third spot but a defeat here and a win for Manchester City later in the day when they host leaders Liverpool would see them drop a place.
Newcastle meanwhile are six points behind their visitors and are looking to avoid a third straight Premier League loss.
- NEWCASTLE TO WIN & UNDER 3.5 GOALS
- ALEXANDER ISAK ANYTIME GOALSCORER
- UNDER 4.5 CARDS
Toon To Get Back On Track
Both these teams need to arrest a slide of one sort or another. Newcastle have lost successive home league games for the first time this season and Forest are trying to avoid a third straight loss on the road.
Nuno Espirito Santo's side blitzed Brighton 7-0 at the start of this month but, omit that game, and the Tricky Trees tally of 34 goals in 24 games would leave them amongst the lowest scorers in the top half.
Conceding seven in their last two away fixtures has also skewed the stats, but still only the top two have conceded fewer than Forest's 29 this season.
Newcastle bagged 13 goals in four games here from early December to mid-January but, that aside, it is just seven goals in the other eight league games at St James's Park all season.
Forest will keep things tight but Newcastle do have the threats to believe they can edge a low-scoring contest and close to within three points of Forest in the standings.
NEWCASTLE TO WIN & UNDER 3.5 GOALS
Isak The Man To Make The Difference
If it is to be a low-scoring affair, then frontmen Alexander Isak and Chris Wood will have the weight of expectation on them.
Wood (18) has one more goal than the Swedish ace, with only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland in front of them entering this round of games.
Isak is responsible for just over 40 percent of the Premier League goals scored by Newcastle this season and his record against Forest is especially pleasing, with four goals in three games against them, including in Newcastle's 3-1 win at the City Ground in October.
Isak has scored in each of Newcastle's last seven Premier League wins and can send them on their way to a vital success here.
ALEXANDER ISAK ANYTIME GOALSCORER
Carefree Cautions Are Unlikely
Newcastle sit 18th in the Premier League's tackle table so far this season, with only Chelsea and Manchester City making fewer challenges.
Both the Magpies and Forest are comfortably in the bottom half of the bookings stats, with Eddie Howe's side in 16th going into the weekend on 49 bookings from 25 games, while the Tricky Trees have just two more.
There was just one caution in Newcastle's defeat to Man City last weekend, while man in the middle Thomas Bramall kept his cards in his pocket during Forest's 2-1 loss to Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The booking line is generally set at 4.5 for this St James' Park tussle and it looks set to come in under.
UNDER 4.5 CARDS
