- Newcastle U21 has won or drawn all of their last 3 matches
- Nottingham Forest U21 have lost 4 of their last 5 games
- Newcastle U21 are unbeaten in the last 2 head-to-head clashes between these two teams
Forest U21 have a defensive game plan
Nottingham Forest U21 sit 21st in the Premier League 2 table with 20 points from 18 games. They are seemingly stuck on 20 points, unable to move up or down in the table, but a 2-1 away win over Fulham Academy 5 days ago could be a step in the right direction.
Warren Joyce instils a risk-averse, compact game plan on his Nottingham Forest U21 team, who will sit deep and try to block the central areas, giving them the ability to quickly counter in wide areas. Forest U21 has struggled at home, with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 5 losses in 8 Premier League 2 home matches this season. They have scored just 8 times at the City Ground.
Newcastle U21 to win closely fought affair
Newcastle U21 have won or drawn their last 3 Premier League 2 matches, with the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers Academy last time out coming in between 2 consecutive draws. They are in 20th place, 1 place above Nottingham Forest U21 but with 1 game in hand.
Newcastle U21 have won 2, drawn 4 and lost 2 of their 8 away games in the Premier League 2, with an average of 1.5 goals scored and 1.38 goals conceded per game away from home.
Newcastle U21 will play a high tempo, wide game and are more aggressive in their pressing, looking to win the ball back quickly and attack with urgency. Diarmuid O’Carroll’s men have had the better of Forest U21 in the past 2 meetings in the Premier League 2, winning 1 and drawing 1, but Forest U21 are yet to beat Newcastle U21.
Game could be close
The bookies are slightly favouring Nottingham Forest U21 in this one at 53/50, but the form of the teams tells us Newcastle U21 should be the favourites at 193/100, whilst a draw comes in at 66/25.
Sean Neave is Newcastle U21’s danger man, he has netted 4 of the Magpies' last 9 goals, and his creativity and goal threat should be enough for the Magpies to snag the win on Friday. Over 2.5 goals at 59/100 is a price we would take as a high chance bet, but both teams to score at 1/2 is the bet to take here as the game will be an open, attacking game of chess between the two coaches. Joyce will look to keep it tight and counter, while O’Carroll will want to stretch the game and overload. Forest U21 has lost their last 2 home games and Newcastle U21 has lost and drawn their last 2 away games.
