Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle United team news points to selection risk at the City Ground

Nottingham Forest and Newcastle have both gone into this one with selection calls that matter as much as the result. Forest have switched to a back three, with Murillo left out, while Anthony Gordon is on the Newcastle bench rather than in the starting XI. The preview has become a test of how much each manager is willing to shuffle before the game even starts.

Forest's reshuffle and the gap they still need to mind

[Vitor Pereira] has selected Jair Cunha, Nikola Milenkovic and Morato in the back three, a clear tactical change from Forest. It also comes with some pressure attached, because Nottingham Forest are 16th with 42 points from 35 matches and still hold only a six-point advantage over the relegation zone.

That is why the team news feels more than routine. Pereira has not just left Murillo out, he has changed the shape around him, and Forest have made four alterations from the team that started the 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa. Taiwo Awoniyi is back in after scoring two goals against Chelsea at the start of the week, while Morgan Gibbs-White is absent after the cut to his forehead in that same game.

The line-up says Forest are still managing the season rather than trusting it. With 42 points and a thin cushion, they are not in the kind of position to treat a back-three switch as a luxury.

Newcastle are still patching up their right side

Newcastle are 13th with 45 points from 35 matches, and [Eddie Howe] is still dealing with injuries and selection calls at the same time. Anthony Gordon is on the bench after two weeks out with a hip problem, according to Howe, and he also said Lewis Miley's broken leg in training means the youngster has to be replaced at right-back.

Howe said Kieran Trippier is likely to start there, with Lewis Hall also in the discussion for an unfamiliar role. He also noted that Gordon had another week of training after returning as an unused substitute against Brighton, which underlines that Newcastle are still handling him carefully.

There is a separate layer to Gordon's situation too. One source has linked him with a move away from St James' Park, while Howe's comments point to a player returning from injury and being managed through minutes. For now, the safest reading is the simplest one: he is not starting because Newcastle are still easing him back, and the side around him is not fully settled either.

The selection story is the main one here. If Forest's shape change is a response to their league position and recent results, Newcastle's changes are being driven by injury and availability. The result will matter, but the line-ups already tell you how much both managers are improvising before kickoff.