Two sides looking to bounce back after disappointing results in the Premier League last time out, Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Newcastle United to the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Brighton & Hove Albion kicked off the new campaign on a high note with back-to-back cruising wins over newly-promoted Luton Town and relegation favourites Wolves, but they head into the match against Newcastle United off the back of a 3-1 loss to David Moyes’s West Ham United, who produced a counter-attacking masterclass to put a stop to the Seagulls’ perfect start.
The South Coast outfit bossed the game with 78% of the possession. But they struggled to create much of a note against a well-drilled Hammers rearguard and were susceptible at the back. Roberto De Zerbi & co. will be desperate to return to winning ways when Newcastle come to town.
Newcastle United, meanwhile, slipped to their second straight defeat as they wasted a golden opportunity to beat 10-man Liverpool after failing to convert their chances in a frustrating evening at St James’ Park.
The Magpies looked on track for victory after Anthony Gordon’s opener was quickly followed by a straight red card for Virgil van Dijk after he denied Alexander Isak a clear goalscoring opportunity. However, Newcastle failed to kill the game off, which left the door open for substitute Darwin Nunez to strike twice and snatch all three points under their noses.
It means Newcastle have just three points on the board from their opening three games as they again stumbled against another elite Premier League team after a lacklustre 1-0 loss at Manchester City in the week before last.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
The future. 💫 pic.twitter.com/qwg48p2LGM
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) August 30, 2023
Julio Enciso is currently sidelined with a serious knee injury, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming that the Paraguayan wonderkid would be missing “for a longer period”, expected to be around three to four months, but he should be the only absentee for the hosts.
Following the 3-1 defeat against West Ham United, Roberto De Zerbi may be inclined to make a raft of changes. But the result was a bit of a fluke in that game, so most of the starting XI should retain their spots.
Club-record signing Joao Pedro should come into the team, with Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March manning the flanks. March, for one, has carried on where he left off last season with three goals in his opening three games for Brighton, while silky dribbler Mitoma continues to give opposition right-backs a torrid time.
Brighton’s midfield stalwart Pascal Gross surpassed Glenn Murray and Neal Maupay to become the club’s top Premier League goal scorer with 27 in the last game as he rifled the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box with ten minutes remaining to give Brighton a brief glimmer of hope.
The German midfielder will be hoping to control the proceedings alongside summer recruit Mahmoud Dahoud in the engine room. The Seagulls have completed the £23.2 million capture of teenage midfielder Carlos Baleba from French side Lille as a direct replacement for departed Moises Caicedo, but the 19-year-old will likely be slowly integrated into Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
More reinforcements could be on the way before the transfer window deadline, with the Seagulls closing in on a sensational year-long loan deal to sign Barcelona prospect Ansu Fati despite stiff competition from European top guns.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Estupinian; Gross, Dahoud; March, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
Newcastle United
Following the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool, Eddie Howe has come under scrutiny for his costly attacking substitutions that saw the Magpies lose grip over the game. Howe admitted that he would have done things differently in hindsight and said that the Magpies must take “collective responsibility” for the loss in his post-match presser.
In a big blow for the visitors, key defender Sven Botman has suffered an ankle injury after he was withdrawn in the closing stages against Liverpool after landing awkwardly, hurting his ankle in the process.
The Magpies are hopeful that Botman won’t be out for an extended period of time if the preliminary signs are anything to go by in a positive update. But the Dutchman will not be back in contention until after the September international break.
AG. 💫 pic.twitter.com/hAiK8bFW0y
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 30, 2023
This could force Howe into a reshuffle at the back, with Dan Burn set to move from left-back to left-sided centre-half position, while Matt Targett could come on at left-back. It will be interesting to see whether new signing Lewis Hall will be thrust into action sooner rather than later due to the shortage of mobile options at left-back.
Joelinton is a minor doubt once again due to a knock to his knee in the last game. If the Brazilian is deemed unfit, Sean Longstaff could step up to deputise in the continued absence of Joe Willock, who has been carrying injuries since the tail end of last season and has not yet featured in the new season.
Sandro Tonali has been the marquee signing of Newcastle United’s summer. And it is safe to say, Newcastle United’s Italian stallion has not since making his English football debut against Villa on the opening day.
Elsewhere in attack, Harvey Barnes and Callum Wilson may continue to have to bide their time for the first start of the season, with Howe favouring a much more fluid front-three in Miguel Almiron, Anthony Gordon, and Alexander Isak.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Targett; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
Key Stats
- Having failed to win any of their first nine Premier League matches against Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United are unbeaten in the last three against the Seagulls and beat them 4-1 at St. James’ Park in May
- Newcastle United have lost their past two Premier League games, having only lost two of their previous 15 before that (W10 D3).
- At least three goals have been scored in four of the last six meetings between these two clubs.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in eight of Brighton’s last nine Premier League games.
- Brighton & Hove Albion have had the most shots (68), shots on target (30), touches in the opposition box (159) and accumulated the most xG (7.7) in the Premier League so far this season.They have scored in their last 19 Premier League matches, the longest current scoring streak of any top-flight club. Meanwhile, Newcastle United have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last ten away league games.
Player to Watch
Anthony Gordon
Newcastle United may have lost at the weekend. But there was one key positive in the form of Anthony Gordon’s performance. The 22-year-old buzzing attacker delivered a superb display for Eddie Howe’s side against Liverpool on Sunday. He scored the opener for the Toon and was a danger throughout, giving Trent Alexander-Arnold a run for his money from the first minute.
Gordon joined Newcastle United back in January in a deal that could rise to £45 million, and it initially looked like the Magpies’ had massively overspent as he needed a while to find his feet at his new club. Now, with a pre-season under his belt, the 22-year-old is showing flashes of brilliance and developing into a great player.
With two goal contributions already, it is a bright start to the season for Gordon. He looks in fine form and is proving to be decisive in the final third. A genuine blade runner, he will be the key player for Newcastle in this game.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Newcastle United
This promises to be an intriguing encounter between two teams that play at a very high intensity and have deadly attacking weapons to do the damage on transitions. Vying for European spots again this season, both were perhaps dealt a dose of reality after failing to make the most of their chances in defeats last time out.
With Brighton and Newcastle United now determined to bounce back, this encounter should live up to the billing. But it could end with both sides shaking hands on a high-scoring stalemate. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw and a potentially high-octane encounter.
