Newcastle United travel to the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday to face Brentford in a bottom-half Premier League clash. The hosts sit 12th with 13 points, one ahead of Eddie Howe’s side, who at least
restored a bit of momentum in midweek European play.
The Magpies bounced back from a poor performance at West Ham last weekend with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League, highlighted by goals from Dan Burn and Joelinton. That result extended the Magpies’ perfect European home record this season but did little to mask their league inconsistency.
Newcastle, however, have yet to win away in the Premier League and have failed to do so in eight straight road matches dating back to last season.
Brentford’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace halted their three-game winning run, but Keith Andrews’s team has shown resilience this season after key summer departures. The Bees have won five of their last six home matches against non-London opposition, though they’ve struggled in capital derbies.
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon will miss the match with a hip injury suffered midweek, while Will Osula, Harrison Ashby, Tino Livramento, and Yoane Wissa are also sidelined, with the latter missing out on what once appeared to be the date for his debut in black and white stripes.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On Gordon, who has been included in the England squad ahead of this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania…
“We don’t think it’s a serious injury. We’re going to get him scanned and we’re awaiting the results. There’s every chance he might miss out on Sunday but we’ll give him every opportunity to be fit.”
On Osula, who was initially named on the bench for Wednesday’s Champions League win before suffering discomfort in his ankle…
“It’s something he’s been feeling for a little bit but it’s been functional. He’s been able to train and play. It was getting to the stage where it was affecting him a little bit more.
“He had a scan and we were awaiting the results, tied in with the game, and the scan told us to pull back a bit. It’s not a serious injury. We expect it to be weeks, not any longer.”
On Wissa, who is still awaiting his Magpies debut…
“Yoane is working well. He’s on the grass and he’s building his fitness. The knee is feeling good and there’s no problems with that. It’s more a case of looking at his fitness, sharpness, all the things he’s going to need to put together. “He’s in a good place to kick on and push his body. We need to give him time to get fit, robust enough and be in a position to give his best version of himself for the team. I’m sure he’ll be worth the wait.”
On Lewis Hall’s return to competitive action…
“He’s closer [to a return to the starting XI]. I thought it was a really good cameo from him. We have to remember he’s had very limited training time so I have to be careful with him.
“He’s very much in my thoughts because of the quality of player he is. He’s had a difficult period with injury. He’s such an important player and we need him fit for the long-term.”
On Dan Burn’s goal against Athletic Club:
“It gets better when I see it. I had the privilege of being right behind it, could see it was going in. The headers he delivers, he doesn’t do that on a regular basis, but when he does, they are very good. A special moment for Dan. I think he appreciates those things more than anybody in the squad because of his association with the club.”
On Brentford, who claimed a 4-2 home win against the Magpies last season:
“I think Brentford is always a difficult place to go. With their style of play this year, they have been very efficient and effective with what they do.
“I see this game as a great opportunity to showcase that we can deliver away from home. We know there is pressure on us, our away form hasn’t been great away from home but we’re determined to try and put that right.”
Howay!
- Date: Sunday, November 9th
- Kick-off: 14:00 BST / 10:00 EST
- Location: Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford (England)
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