Aiming to snap their miserable losing run before commencing Champions League duties, Newcastle United welcome Brentford to St James' Park for Saturday's tantalising Premier League showdown.
Eddie Howe's men were outfought and outclassed in a 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion two weeks ago, while the Bees remain unbeaten thanks to a 2-2 draw versus Bournemouth.
Match preview
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Goals were promised when the Seagulls and the Magpies engaged in a fierce avian battle at the Amex Stadium before the international break, but the Newcastle faithful were not rewarded for their gruelling journey south, as an Irish protege single-handedly put Howe's men to the sword.
Indeed, 18-year-old Evan Ferguson added a few more pounds to his valuation by scoring a stunning hat-trick for Brighton, whose clean sheet was wiped out by an injury-time Callum Wilson strike, but the Englishman's contribution off the bench unsurprisingly proved insignificant.
The Magpies could not have been knocked for suffering one-goal losses to title-chasing Manchester City and Liverpool in normal circumstances, but allowing the 10-man Reds to snatch all three points from the jaws of defeat was clearly a harbinger of doom, and the hosts' 5-1 demolition of Aston Villa on the opening weekend now feels like an age ago.
Owing to their dissatisfactory start to the new term, Newcastle are languishing in 14th place in the table before they meet three European behemoths in Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan in a harsh welcome back to life in the Champions League; the Italian giants await at San Siro for their first 'group of death' battle next Tuesday.
Before tackling some of the continent's big boys, Howe must seek to reverse an alarming trend which has seen Newcastle win just two of their last nine top-flight outings, while their only clean sheet in their last 15 Premier League matches came against relegated Leicester City, and the hosts have not lost four successive games in the division since the days of Steve Bruce in January 2021.
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The Gtech Community Stadium faithful also witnessed a four-goal extravaganza when Brentford and Bournemouth locked horns in gameweek four, where a fine Mathias Jensen free kick broke the deadlock with just seven minutes gone before Dominic Solanke and David Brooks silenced the London crowd.
A first defeat of the season was seemingly on the menu for Thomas Frank's crop, but with three minutes gone in second-half injury time, the ever-reliable Bryan Mbeumo raced through to steal a point for the hosts, who have taken on the role of stalemate specialists in the early stages of the season.
While the eighth-placed visitors have now gone four games without defeat in the new term, their only win in that sequence came away to London rivals Fulham, while they were also held to a 1-1 draw by Newport County in the EFL Cup before prevailing on penalties.
Nevertheless, the Ivan Toney-less Bees continue to deliver on the offensive front and have only lost one of their last 11 Premier League contests - a 1-0 beating on Liverpool's territory back in May - and Frank's team are now unbeaten in seven successive top-flight games.
However, the Brentford faithful may wish to avoid casting an eye over their side's recent results against Newcastle, whom they have failed to beat in all four Premier League meetings since earning promotion to the big time, although a Josh Dasilva strike did seal a slender EFL Cup quarter-final success in 2020-21.
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Team News
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Several notable players have been left battered and bruised during the international break, including the Magpies' marquee summer signing Sandro Tonali, who missed Italy's win over Ukraine on Tuesday with a muscular problem and is a doubt for the visit of Brentford, as well as his San Siro homecoming with Milan next week.
Tonali joins Joe Willock (calf), Emil Krafth (ACL) and Javier Manquillo (groin) in the treatment room, while Sven Botman did not take part in the Brighton mauling owing to an ankle issue, but Howe is hopeful that the Dutchman will make the cut - the same can be said for Elliot Anderson following a knock.
Anderson and Sean Longstaff would be expected to battle for one spot in the midfield trident if Tonali is spared for the trip to Italy, and unless Botman makes an immediate return to the XI, Lewis Hall may come into contention for his debut after Matt Targett's showing down south left a lot to be desired.
Meanwhile, Brentford's 2020-21 EFL Cup hero Dasilva will not have the opportunity to make lightning strike twice against Newcastle as he recuperates from a severe thigh problem, while Shandon Baptiste is also out for the long-term after dislocating his shoulder.
Mikkel Damsgaard sat out the draw with Bournemouth and Denmark's international fixtures due to an adductor concern, but Frank is optimistic that the 23-year-old will be available to take on Newcastle, although a spot on the bench surely awaits.
With Toney still on the naughty step until January, Everton loanee Neal Maupay has returned for a Bees homecoming, but Mbeumo, Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa should continue as the attacking triumvirate for the time being.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Gordon, Isak, Barnes
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Flekken; Hickey, Pinnock, Collins, Henry; Janelt, Norgaard, Jensen; Mbeumo, Wissa, Schade
We say: Newcastle United 2-1 Brentford
The Bees' recent affinity for draws might serve them well up north, where concerns over Tonali and Botman's respective fitness levels will do the demoralised Magpies no favours whatsoever.
However, with Brentford still showcasing a tendency to ship goals and Newcastle more than capable of turning their fortunes around at home - especially with the Champions League on the horizon - we expect Howe's team to return from the international break with a bang and secure a fourth successive win over their capital counterparts.
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Top tip
Ben Knapton
