(Football news) In a 3-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion two weeks ago, Eddie Howe’s team was outmatched on both sides, while the Bees are still unblemished after a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.

Goals were promised as the Seagulls and the Magpies engaged in a ferocious bird duel at the Amex Stadium before the international break, but the Newcastle faithful were not rewarded for their difficult travel south, as an Irish protege put Howe’s men to the sword all by himself.

Indeed, 18-year-old Evan Ferguson increased his value by scoring a fantastic hat-trick for Brighton, whose clean sheet was spoiled by a goal from Callum Wilson in stoppage time, although the Englishman’s contribution off the bench inevitably proved negligible.

In normal circumstances, the Magpies could not have been faulted for losing by a goal to title contenders Manchester City and Liverpool. However, allowing the 10-man Reds to steal the three points from the hosts was obviously a sign of things to come, and the hosts’ 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on the opening weekend seems like a lifetime ago.

Newcastle is languishing in 14th place in the table as a result of their poor start to the new season. They will face Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, and AC Milan in a brutal return to Champions League play on Tuesday. The Italian giants will be waiting at San Siro for their first “group of death” matchup.

The alarming trend that has seen Newcastle win just twice in their last nine Premier League games, keep just one clean sheet in their last 15 league games (against relegated Leicester City), and lose four straight games in the division for the first time since the days of Steve Bruce in January 2021, must be reversed before taking on some of the continent’s big boys.

The Brentford vs. Bournemouth matchup in gameweek four featured a four-goal bonanza that the Gtech Community Stadium audience also watched. A beautiful Mathias Jensen free kick opened the scoring after just seven minutes, while Dominic Solanke and David Brooks later hushed the London crowd.

Thomas Frank’s team appeared to be headed for their first loss of the year, but with three minutes left in second-half injury time, the dependable Bryan Mbeumo sprinted through to steal a point for the hosts, who have established themselves as the season’s foremost experts in stalemates.

The visitors, who are currently in ninth place, have gone four games without suffering a loss this season, but their lone victory during that run came away at London rivals Fulham. They were also held to a 1-1 draw by Newport County in the EFL Cup before winning on penalties.

The Bees, who are playing without Ivan Toney, are still producing on the offensive front and have only dropped one of their last 11 Premier League games—a 1-0 defeat on Liverpool’s ground in May. Frank’s club is currently unbeaten in seven straight games in the top division.

The Brentford supporters may want to avoid focusing on their team’s recent results against Newcastle, who they haven’t defeated in any of their four Premier League encounters since being promoted to the top division, though Josh Dasilva’s goal did secure a narrow EFL Cup quarterfinal victory in 2020–21.

Newcastle United Premier League Form

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Brentford Premier League Form

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Sandro Tonali, the headline summer signing for the Magpies, missed Italy’s victory over Ukraine on Tuesday due to a muscular problem and is a serious doubt for both the visit of Brentford and his San Siro homecoming with Milan next week. He is just one of several notable players who have suffered during the international break.

Tonali is now in the treatment room alongside Joe Willock (calf), Emil Krafth (ACL), and Javier Manquillo (groyne). Sven Botman missed the Brighton thrashing due to an ankle injury, which may or may not get better in time for Brentford’s visit. The same is true for Elliot Anderson’s injury.

If Tonali is not travelling to Italy, it is anticipated that Anderson and Sean Longstaff will compete for one spot in the midfield trio. If Botman does not make an immediate return to the starting lineup, Lewis Hall may be in line to make his debut after Matt Targett’s performance in the South was less than stellar.

While recovering from a major thigh injury, Dasilva, the 2020–21 EFL Cup hero, will be unable to make lightning strikes twice against Newcastle. Shandon Baptiste is also sidelined indefinitely after dislocating his shoulder.
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