‘Stay focused’ - Nottingham Forest star issues battle cry to teammates before Newcastle United test

Eddie Howe’s men welcome the Tricky Trees to St James’ Park aiming for a hat-trick of wins in 2024-25. Both those triumphs came away from home - the first dating back to August in the Carabao Cup.

Forest are this season’s surprise packages, sitting third in the table and well-placed for Champions League qualification. A genuine six-pointer would see Newcastle move to within three points of Nuno Espirito Santo’s men with a win tomorrow.

However, another defeat following back-to-back home Premier League losses against Fulham and Bournemouth - and Newcastle’s hopes for Champions League football suffer a heavy blow. Speaking to the club website, Forest defender Milenkovic called for talk about European qualification to be quashed.

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“It’s our strength just to focus on the next game,” he said. “We don’t look too far to the future. I think we need to stay focussed and live in the present. Our strength is the group, we’re solid, there’s a great atmosphere and great chemistry in the group. Everyone that steps on the pitch wants to give 100%.

“Everything we do, we do together on the pitch. We prepare for every game in a good way but it’s important for us to keep going. We’re all trying to help each other.”

“Nobody expected us to be in this position at this time, but it’s not a surprise now, it’s a reality. It’s important for us to stay humble and keep our feet on the ground but most importantly, keep improving.”