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Montanier - "A good challenge"
Written by Dan King
Nottingham Forest boss Philippe Montanier says his team will have to be “strong defensively” against Newcastle on Friday.
The Frenchman has overseen three defeats in the four games since Forest beat a nine-man Magpies side at the City Ground earlier this month.
On Boxing Day, his side were beaten 2-1 by Huddersfield after conceding two own goals, and Montanier felt that Forest “lost the battle in midfield” against the Terriers.
He knows that Rafa Benitez’s Newcastle will also look to dominate possession, and told nottinghamforest.co.uk: “Every game is different but Newcastle are a tough team, especially at home.
"It is a nice stadium with a good atmosphere so it is a good challenge.
“We need to be strong defensively as if you leave a lot of space they have good attackers.
"But we need to take our chances too and attack quickly and find a balance between a defensive mentality and managing the ball well. If we don’t do that it will be difficult to get a result.”
Montanier hopes midfielder Ben Osborn will recover from injury in time to play on Friday, but defender Joe Worrall is a doubt.
Michael Mancienne is suspended after being sent off on Boxing Day.