Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Sat 9 May 2026 19:00, UK

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Nottingham Forest will host Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday in a game that could see safety all but clinched for Vitor Pereira’s side.

If the Tricky Trees can win, they will be nine points ahead of 18th-placed West Ham with just three games to play, and with a vastly better goal difference.

The Hammers will host Premier League leaders Arsenal in the hours after Sunday’s match ends, with Pereira’s side potentially safe by the end of the day.

Newcastle will be leapfrogged by their hosts if they are beaten at the City Ground, after a dismal recent run of form that has seen Eddie Howe’s side win one of their last six across all competitions.

Nottingham Forest’s form took a heavy hit when they were smashed by Aston Villa on Thursday, but Pereira will be confident in his team’s ability to bounce back.

Nottingham Forest’s terrible recent record vs Newcastle United

Football Insider exclusively revealed in February that Pereira would be sacked by Nottingham Forest if they were relegated to the Championship at the end of the season.

The 57-year-old will avoid that fate if his team can produce victory on Sunday, and has, by all accounts, done a superb job, but it cannot be completely guaranteed that his future lies at the City Ground.

The Portuguese manager had a similar effect at Wolves last season before overseeing a collapse at Molineux at the start of the campaign.

Decision-makers will fear a similar scenario taking place at Nottingham Forest, despite Pereira having been handed a contract until the summer of 2027.

The 57-year-old will hope a strong end to the season can convince the right people that he remains the right man to lead the team forward, and beating Newcastle would be a key step.

Nottingham Forest have not beaten the Magpies at the City Ground since 2018, when Daryl Murphy, Matty Cash and Gil Dias scored to knock them out of the Carabao Cup.

In fact, the hosts have won just one of their last eight against Newcastle, losing the last five and only recently winning at St James’ Park in 2023.

Eddie Howe’s strong record to be tested

Pereira is not the only manager to be thinking about his future in the coming months. Howe looks set to stay at Newcastle this summer, but under huge pressure after a shockingly poor season.

The Magpies could drop as far as 16th if they are beaten on Sunday, with their manager set to be walking a tight rope in the early stages of the next campaign.

Howe’s teams usually perform well against Nottingham Forest. He has been the manager for seven Newcastle wins from the last eight clashes between the sides, and he beat them in charge of Bournemouth and Burnley, too.

The Englishman has 10 wins from 15 career games managed against the Tricky Trees, but he faces one of the toughest editions of the clash on Sunday.