Newcastle United will take on big spending Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Friday, March 17 – will it be a St. Patrick’s Day to forget for the Toon, or will they find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?

Newcastle are expected to be without four first-team players for the game against Forest. Ryan Fraser, Emil Krafth and former Everton winger Anthony Gordon have all been ruled out with injuries – meanwhile, Joelinton will be absent with a suspension after picking up his tenth yellow card of the season.

In their last Premier League outing, Newcastle defeated a tenacious Wolverhampton Wanderers outfit by a score of 2-1. Alexander Isak opened the scoring in the first half – however, a mix-up in the Newcastle defence allowed Wolves to draw level in the 70th minute. A goal from Miguel Almiron, assisted by former Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock, restored the Toon’s lead and gave them the three points.

Nottingham Forest, on the other hand, were beaten in their last game when they played Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur. It was a comfortable afternoon for Spurs – their goals were scored by Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min. A late goal from Forest’s Joe Worrall proved to be nothing more than a consolation.

Newcastle are currently fifth in the Premier League table, following a shaky run of form. Meanwhile, Forest are 14th – despite this, Steve Cooper’s men are only two points away from falling into the relegation zone. Newcastle still have the dream of European football in their sights especially if Man United qualify for the Champions League it will leave Newcastle to qualify as the beaten League Cup finalists.