Two teams level on points in the Premier League table square off at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as Brighton & Hove Albion play host to Newcastle United.

 

The Seagulls and the Magpies meet for the first time since the beginning of May when the latter snatched a point in a 1-1 draw on the South Coast, courtesy of an 89th-minute penalty from a player now despised by many on Tyneside – Alexander Isak.

 

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Match preview

 

Inconsistent is certainly one word Brighton supporters will use to describe their start to the 2025-26 season, as two wins, three draws and two defeats have been posted across their opening seven Premier League fixtures, with 10 goals both scored and conceded in the process.

 

The Seagulls are yet to register back-to-back top-flight wins this term, but they are unbeaten across their last three games, with a 3-1 victory at Chelsea sandwiched between score draws with Tottenham and Wolves, rescuing a 1-1 draw away against the latter before the international break.

 

Jan Paul van Hecke’s 86th-minute equaliser at Molineux means that Brighton have now gained 30 points from losing positions in the Premier League under head coach Fabian Hurzeler, which accounts for 43% of their points total under the German (30/70) – this represents both the highest total and ratio of any ever-present team in the division since the start of the 2024-25 campaign.

 

Sitting 12th in the Premier League table but only three points behind the top six, Brighton will welcome a return to the Amex Stadium where they have only lost one of their last 11 Premier League home matches (W6 D4), alternating between drawing (four) and winning (three) in their last seven games since suffering a 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa in April.

 

The Seagulls have also had success in front of their own fans against Saturday’s opponents Newcastle, as they have never lost in eight Premier League home meetings with the Magpies (W3 D5), who are the only team to visit the Amex at least five times in the division without ever claiming maximum points.

 

 

After securing a top-five finish in the Premier League last season, Newcastle find themselves down in 11th place this term after accumulating nine points from their opening seven matches, sitting just above Saturday’s opponents Brighton on goal difference.

 

Goals have been hard to come by for the Magpies, who have scored just six goals from 80 shots in the top flight this season, with only Nottingham Forest (6.3%) – who Newcastle beat 2-0 prior to the international break – having a lower shot conversion rate than Eddie Howe’s side (7.5%).

 

Newcastle have looked solid from a defensive perspective, though, as goalkeeper Nick Pope has kept a division-high five clean sheets, while only Premier League leaders Arsenal (three) having conceded fewer goals than the Magpies (five).

 

Howe’s side are now preparing for a tricky assignment against an opponent they have struggled against in recent years. Indeed, Newcastle have won just two of their 16 Premier League meetings with Brighton (D8 L6), with a win rate of 13% representing their lowest ratio against any team they have faced at least three times in the division.

 

In addition, Newcastle’s away form does not paint a pleasant picture, as they have failed to score in each of their last four PL games on the road, with all three this season ending 0-0. The Magpies last went five away matches without a league goal between February and May 2015, while only one team in English football history has ever had their first four away league games of a campaign end goalless (Notts County in the Third Division South back in 1935-36).

 

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Team News

 

 

Brighton’s Solly March, Adam Webster, Brajan Gruda (all knee) and Jack Hinshelwood (ankle) are all sidelined with injuries, while Kaoru Mitoma (ankle), Joel Veltman (calf) and Diego Gomez (thigh) will all be assessed ahead of kickoff.

 

While left-back Maxim De Cuyper will be hoping to force his way back into the starting lineup at the expense of Ferdi Kadioglu, Mats Wieffer should continue as a makeshift right-back if Veltman is not fit to feature.

 

If Mitoma is available to return on the left flank, former Newcastle man Yankuba Minteh will likely revert to the opposite wing, while Georginio Rutter is pushing to earn a recall in the number 10 role, as Danny Welbeck continues to lead the line.

 

As for Newcastle, Yoane Wissa, Tino Livramento (both knee) and Lewis Hall (hamstring) all remain sidelined with injuries, and Will Osula (ankle) is a doubt, while Howe is hopeful that Joelinton (groin) will be fit to feature. Jacob Ramsey, meanwhile, is in contention to play after missing seven games with an ankle problem.

 

Dan Burn will continue to fill in at left-back in the absence of Hall, while Fabian Schar will hope to earn a recall at centre-back and could play alongside either Sven Botman on Malick Thiaw.

 

Nick Woltemade, who scored his first senior international goal for Germany earlier this week, is expected to start up front and has found the net three times in his first four Premier League appearances. The only players to score four or more goals in their first five PL games for the Magpies are Loic Remy (five), Les Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Callum Wilson (all four).