Nottingham Forest return to Premier League action for the first time in 23 years this afternoon against Newcastle United at St James' Park, and there is no doubt that the Garibaldi faithful will be very excited to see how the new-look team fares against the Magpies.

The club have signed 12 new players over the summer so far and there is no doubt that Steve Cooper will want to hit the ground running by deploying several of the new faces in his team today.

In terms of injuries, Ryan Yates and Omar Richards will not be available for selection against the Magpies, but Wayne Hennessey will be available, with the Forest boss giving an update in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

Cooper revealed: "Ryan Yates hasn't got back in time, he's not far away but it's a real blow for him because he would have loved to be part of Saturday but we're as we were.

"Wayne Hennessey is back training, he missed a game through a small injury but he's back for the weekend.”

With all that considered, this is how Football Fancast expect Nottingham Forest to line up against Newcastle this afternoon...

We predict that Cooper will include a number of his new signings against Eddie Howe's side today, with only four of the play-off winning squad making the starting XI.

One of the most interesting signings of the summer was former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard, who joined the Reds on a free transfer after much speculation about his future, and we expect that the 42-year-old will be wanting to get him straight into the team to make an instant impact in the final third.

The attacking gem, who was dubbed "unique" by Michael Carrick, has tallied 56 goals over his senior club career so far, and he will be keen to make a good impression to prove his worth to the Forest boss and his critics. We expect to see him on the left of a front three alongside fellow newcomer Taiwo Awoniyi and Forest's rising talent Brennan Johnson.

One player who could miss out on a first start in the top flight is Scott McKenna, with Moussa Niakhate, captain Joe Worrall and Steve Cook occupying the back three this afternoon.

The 25-year-old, who was dubbed "reckless" by former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers in the past, could lose his place in the team, with Cooper perhaps preferring to deploy another new signing as Niakhate goes straight into the starting line-up and Cook getting the nod owing to his experience at this level.

The 31-year-old has 168 top-flight appearances under his belt, and his experience of this division could be invaluable to Forest in their pursuit to retain their Premier League status into season, so we expect to see him claiming a starting spot against Newcastle.

It won't be an easy opener for Forest, with Howe determined to compete for a high finish in the league this season, but it will give Cooper a great opportunity to get a feel for how well his team can handle the pressures of the Premier League and how the new signings will fit into his philosophy.