Brighton & Hove Albion will go in search of a fourth victory in five Premier League games when they face Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Thursday evening.
With four matches remaining, the Seagulls find themselves sixth in the table – one point clear of Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand.
📺 Eddie Howe on today’s 2-2 draw at Elland Road.— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 13, 2023
📺 Eddie Howe on today’s 2-2 draw at Elland Road.
Meanwhile, Newcastle occupy third place in the standings and sit one point inside the Champions League places with nine points left to play for.
When the Magpies posted a run of eight victories in nine league matches across March and April, they looked destined to secure a top-four finish without any problems.
However, Eddie Howe’s men have managed to take just one point from a possible six since then, losing 2-0 to Arsenal before drawing 2-2 at Leeds United.
It is worth remembering, though, that Newcastle have lost only two of their 17 Premier League home games this season, keeping eight clean sheets in the process.
Having won nine of their previous 13 home league games – scoring over 1.5 goals in six of those victories – the Magpies will be hopeful of notching a positive result on Thursday.
That said, Brighton will have other ideas as they head to Tyneside on the back of a hugely impressive 3-0 victory over title hopefuls Arsenal.
Not only have the Seagulls won three of their last four Premier League outings, but they have also won seven of their previous 12, scoring over 1.5 goals on seven occasions.
Better still, Brighton have enjoyed of success on the road of late, losing just two of their last 11 away league matches while securing six victories.
It is also worth noting that Brighton have scored over 1.5 goals in 11 of their 17 Premier League away matches this term, making them a serious threat on their travels.
Head-to-head: Earlier this season, Brighton and Newcastle played out a goalless draw on the south coast, notching their seventh draw in 10 Premier League meetings.
When you look at the bigger picture, the Magpies have managed to win just one of their previous 11 Premier League meetings with the Seagulls.
Team news: Newcastle look set to be without the injured quartet of Emil Krafth, Jamaal Lascelles, Matt Ritchie and Sean Longstaff for the remainder of the campaign.
On the flip side, Brighton’s injury list contains Tariq Lamptey, Jeremy Sarmiento, Jakub Moder, Adam Webster, Solly March and Adam Lallana, while Joel Veltman is a doubt for Thursday.
It is no secret that Newcastle are a force to be reckoned with at St. James’ Park, but Brighton are adept at picking up positive results on the road.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Brighton will claim all three points on Thursday, scoring over 1.5 goals while keeping a clean sheet.