Nottingham Forest will attempt to knock Newcastle off their promotion course - and boost their own Premier League aspirations - when they meet at St. James' Park on Monday (kick-off 7.45pm).
The Geordies are riding high at the top of the Championship table and are just four wins away from returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
They are unbeaten on Tyneside this season but Forest know what it takes to beat them and will be looking to record the 'double' over Chris Hughton's men.
Forest will head to the North East looking to bring a run of seven successive away defeats to an end but boosted by back-to-back home wins over Peterborough and Crystal Palace.
Billy Davies' men remain eight points adrift of second-placed West Brom but they still haven't
Team newsForest hope to have
James Perch available for the trip to the North East.
Perch, a transfer target for Newcastle in January, missed the win over Crystal Palace after suffering a recurrence of an ankle problem.
But The Reds hope that, with the benefit of a pain-killing injection and several days rest, Perch will get the all-clear to figure in the squad.
Joel Lynch, who is edging closer to a return to full fitness after a thigh problem, may also be involved.
But Forest will be without
Paul McKenna and
Julian Bennett.
Newcastle expect to have Mike Williamson, Peter Lovenkrands and Shola Ameobi available for the visit of Forest.
Ameobi has been sidelined for much of the season by a hamstring problem, while Williams and Lovenkrands have been nursing hand and calf problems respectively.
Former England man Alan Smith, who has had an ankle injury, may also be
They will be without Steven Taylor, who has been out for three months with a knee injury and is unlikely to play again this season.
Their key manThe bedrock of Newcastle's surge to within touching distance of a quick-fire return to the Premier League may have been built around a club record 19 clean sheets this season.
But the goals of striker Andy Carroll have also been an important factor in their promotion push.
The England Under 21 international's match winner against Doncaster on Tuesday took his tally for the season to 16.
What the record books say
There have been more than a century of league and cup meetings between Forest and Newcastle.
In fact, the two sides have gone head-to-head 105 times and the record books show that it's the men from Tyneside who have had the better of things.
They have recorded 46 victories, compared to Forest's 32, although it was, of course, Billy Davies' men who were victorious at
The City Ground earlier in the season.
Dexter Blackstock scored the only goal of a memorable game on Trentside in front of a capacity 29,155 crowd.
Blackstock struck on the stroke of half-time, firing coolly past Steve Harper after being sent clear by Radi Majewski.
The goal was no more than Forest deserved after a dominant first half performance which saw Blackstock strike the post and force a good save from Harper.
Newcastle put The Reds under pressure in the second half but were unable to find a way past
Lee Camp.
Majewski cleared an attempted clearance by Blackstock off the line; Kevin Nolan had a goal disallowed for offside and Nile Ranger wasted a golden opportunity late-on.
Forest: Camp, Gunter, Morgan, Wilson, Cohen, McKenna (Garner 86), Moussi, Tyson, Majewski (McGoldrick 61), Anderson (McGugan 79), Blackstock. Subs not used: Smith, Chambers, McCleary, Adebola.
Newcastle: Harper, Taylor, Simpson, Khizanishvilli, Enrique, Guthrie, Smith, Nolan, Lovenkrands (Gutierrez 61), Carroll, Harewood (Ranger 83). Subs not used: Krul, Kadar, Butt, Geremi, Donaldson.
Click here to watch highlights of this game on Forest Player.
Where they currently standForest - 3rd
Newcastle - 1st
Where they finished last seasonForest - 19th
Newcastle - 18th (in the Premier League)
