Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe will be able to return his full focus to the task of the Magpies’ Premier League ambitions this weekend after rumours linking him to the England manager’s job were finally settled.
Thomas Tuchel’s appointment as the Three Lions’ new boss for the next two years has ensured Howe will remain in club management for the time being, with Brighton and Hove Albion his side’s visitors to St. James’ Park this weekend.
Coming off the back of a fascinating international break, this fixture sees the sides currently sat sixth and seventh in the Premier League table vying for a positive result in their respective pushes for European football.
With near-identical records to date as well, something must give as these two highly capable teams meet in the North East.
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Team News
Naturally, the talk of Newcastle’s press conference this week was Howe’s proximity to the final decision around Tuchel taking the England job, with the 46-year-old deemed the second-favourite after interim manager Lee Carsley had distanced himself from the position.
Howe quashed this story by stating that he was not amongst the ten candidates FA CEO Mark Bullingham said the body had interviewed for the role.
The former Bournemouth manager said "For me, it's about Newcastle and trying to win games and it's hard enough to do that if you are 100% focused.
“I will always remain that way to my work. If you drop your levels, then the job becomes impossible and at no stage have I allowed myself to do that."
Moving on swiftly from that story, it was asked which players had returned from the international break better or worse for wear.
Howe revealed that Alexander Isak is available for selection this weekend now that his toe injury is "fully healed", which is a huge boost for the Magpies after the Swedish striker missed their last two matches.
Elsewhere, midfielder Lewis Miley also returned to training during the international break and Howe said that he would “re-introduce him at the right time”, which could lead to a role on the bench in this meeting.
Additionally, Callum Wilson is nearing a return and Howe said the striker is being assessed "day to day" as he seeks his first action of the 2024/25 season.
However, Sven Botman remains out with his anterior cruciate ligament injury, and Kieran Trippier will be sidelined for "a few weeks" with a hamstring issue that is "probably nothing too serious". Dan Burn and Tino Livramento will likely continue as deputies in this circumstance.
In his latest press conference, Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler confirmed which players who have been on the injury table will return in time for this fixture.
The most positive news was about Jan Paul van Hecke, with the Dutch defender confirmed to be available after recovering from an unconfirmed issue.
This is a crucial boost for the Seagulls after the man who initially replaced van Hecke, Adam Webster, was ruled by Hurzeler after picking up an injury in the first ten minutes of their last outing against Tottenham Hotspur.
Three other players have been ruled out of this weekend’s contest, with João Pedro (ankle), James Milner (thigh) and Matt O’Riley (ankle) nearing returns but not able to recover in time.
O’Riley is deemed to be particularly close after being filmed partaking in active training this week and could be involved next week when the Seagulls host Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Meanwhile, Carlos Baleba and Georginio Rutter are both available after small concerns following the former’s recent outing with Cameroon and the latter’s late substitution against Tottenham.
The situation is less clear with Simon Adingra and Solly March, who are both nearing a full return, and whether they make the bench this weekend will be an indication of how well they are progressing.
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Likely Lineups
Pope; Livramento, Schär, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimarães, Joelinton; Gordon, Isak, Barnes
Verbruggen; Veltman, van Hecke, Dunk, Estupiñán; Wieffer, Baleba; Minteh, Rutter, Mitoma; Welbeck
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Key Players
Newcastle – Alexander Isak
If Isak is to return to the starting XI as believed this Saturday, the Swedish striker could revive an under-performing attack.
Without him, the Toon had to rely on Anthony Gordon playing as a false nine against both Manchester City and Everton, with the Englishman scoring a penalty against City but missing from the spot against his former club.
Isak leads the line in a completely different way to Gordon, with his immense physicality – which belies a slight frame – and incredible pace on the counter offering a threat whether dominating the ball or relying on the transition.
After his Sweden side missed the European Championships this summer, Isak had an underwhelming start to the Premier League season with just one goal in his first five games, but did help the side to 10 points from those fixtures.
The 25-year-old will look to recapture the form which saw him score 21 goals in 30 Premier League appearances last season in this weekend’s contest, and will have a stern test against a defence that was just one of three – alongside Crystal Palace and Manchester United – that stopped him scoring in both matches last season.
Having rarely disappointed on Tyneside so far, the odds will favour Isak’s chances of an emphatic return this weekend.
Brighton – Yankuba Minteh
A fascinating sub-plot of this match is the potential for Brighton winger Minteh to exact an element of revenge on his previous employers.
Gambia international Minteh was signed by the Magpies in the summer of 2023 and immediately loaned out to Feyenoord.
After a highly impressive season, the 20-year-old served potential to his permanent employers as a financial asset in their bid to avoid Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) sanctions, so was sold to Brighton for a fee in the region of £30 million.
Though he should hold no bad blood with Newcastle, Minteh will be keen to show the North East side exactly what they missed out on when they allowed him to join Hürzeler's side.
With a mixed performance against Tottenham that almost saw him substituted before scoring the first goal of an incredible second-half comeback, the tricky winger will need to take advantage of the chance offered to him by injuries to Pedro, Adingra and March.
If he can repeat the form of pre-season that flowed into an electric performance against Everton on the opening day of the season, Minteh could be a real thorn in the side of Newcastle – and left-back Lewis Hall – this weekend.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
The match takes place at St. James’ Park, where Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 12 matches in all competitions and have not lost to Brighton since September 2020.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is at 3pm on Saturday 19 October 2024, coinciding with four other Premier League games this weekend.
How can I watch?
Live broadcasts are not possible in the UK for this fixture, but highlights will be available on both sides’ YouTube accounts in the hours after full-time, as well as available on Match of the Day, which broadcasts at 10:25pm on Saturday.
