Given the standard of players that have been signed by Forest, it would be naive to rule out the visitors from causing a surprise in the North East. However, despite Forest likely to have a spring in their step, Newcastle's greater quality and experience should shine through come the final whistle.
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Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Newcastle United win with a probability of 45.01%. A draw had a probability of 28.2% and a win for Nottingham Forest had a probability of 26.74%.
The most likely scoreline for a Newcastle United win was 1-0 with a probability of 13.94%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.07%) and 2-1 (8.45%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (13%), while for a Nottingham Forest win it was 0-1 (10%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with a 9.1% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Newcastle United would win this match.
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