Brighton vs Newcastle Match Preview

Albion come into the early Sunday kick-off on the back of a dramatic late, late victory over West Ham United last week.

Carlos Baleba stole the show with a 35-yard bullet in the 93rd minute. Shortly before that, inspired substitutes Brajan Gruda and Kaoru Mitoma caused chaos from the moment they stepped on the pitch.

Two assists for Gruda, and an 89th-minute equaliser from Kaoru Mitoma bailed out Fabian Hürzeler’s men from another defeat against a team in the bottom six.

This season’s head-to-head

The Seagulls have already beaten Newcastle twice this season.

The fixture in early October was a great point of reference for the new resilient Brighton. Being able to travel to a tough place like St James’ Park and come away with a backs-against-the-wall performance to win 1-0. Danny Welbeck scored the winner then and did it again in the FA Cup Quarter-Finals. The latter trumped the scale for impressive wins this season, winning a game with a 113th minute injury time winner was something most Albion fans have never seen before.

Newcastle are in better form now, though.

Chasing the Champions League spots, four wins in their last five, and Nottingham Forest dropping points gives the Magpies a good incentive to continue their momentum.

Injury news

Joelinton is suffering a knee injury, and will be unavailable for the rest of the season. Lewis Hall also remains out for Newcastle with an ankle injury.

For Albion, a huge defensive boost awaits. Jan Paul Van Hecke, Adam Webster, Igor, Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey all return at the back; with Kaoru Mitoma available after a scare last weekend.

João Pedro and Georginio Rutter are big misses for Albion. The former is serving a second of his three-match ban after a straight red card at Brentford. However, the head coach is hopeful that Georginio will make his return after injury before the end of the season.

Hürzeler’s side have been ridden with injuries throughout the season, which was called as expected before the season started. The German prefers intensity and insists on players running considerable distances each week, including during training, a risk and reward factor. He said earlier this season:

“I know there were some injuries [last season], and there are always several reasons why injuries happen. For me, it’s important to have great experts in the staff – we have some changes and I completely trust my staff.

I have worked with them for six weeks and I really feel their knowledge and passion for the club. In the end, I always take responsibility on my side if injuries happen because I control the training and the intensity of training.”

Albion have a knack for having joy over Newcastle. Beating them seven times since 2017, with seven draws and just two defeats. A reason to be positive on a fan’s point of view.

The six-pointer at The Amex is a considerable one for both sides. In need of wins respectively as the race for Europe intensifies.