Brentford Vs Newcastle United: Hard Central Board Battle

JAKARTA - The battle between the two mid-table teams will be presented at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday 9 November. Brentford, who sits 12th with 13 points, will host Newcastle United 13th with 12 points in Premier League matches that promise high tension and balance of strength.

The hosts have just lost 0-2 in London derby against Crystal Palace, while Newcastle managed to restore confidence in Europe with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League.

After the departure of Thomas Frank, Yoane Wissa, and Bryan Mbeumo, many predict Brentford will have difficulty staying in the Premier League this season. But under the tutelage of Keith Andrews, The Bees actually appeared solid and continued to fight expectations.

Jordan Henderson's presence provides a valuable experience in midfield, and Brentford is now on a safe path to maintaining their Premier League status for the sixth season in a row since historic promotions in 2021.

Even so, the defeat to Crystal Palace last week showed that there was still a gap in Andrews' team. Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal and Nathan Collins' suicide dashed Brentford's hopes of extending their previous three consecutive wins over West Ham, Liverpool, and Grimsby Town (at the EFL Cup).

Interestingly, Brentford had a good record at home against a team outside London: they won five of the last six Premier League games against a non-London team. On the other hand, in the last 10 London derbys at Gtech, they only won once.

In the visitors' camp, Newcastle United came with renewed enthusiasm after an impressive performance in Europe. After being defeated by West Ham 1-3 in the Premier League which saw Eddie Howe angry, the Magpies rose in the Champions League thanks to two header goals from Dan Burn and Joelinton, overthrowing Athletic Bilbao 2-0.

The win extended Newcastle's winning streak in the Champions League to their top three matches in the event. However, in the Premier League, they are still inconsistent and are now closer to the relegation zone than the top four mathematically.

The main cause of their slumped position is a bad away record. Newcastle have not won a away game this season, and have even failed to win in the last eight Premier League away games.

Last season, Brentford successfully won 4-2 over Newcastle at this stadium, although the Magpies then responded with two wins at home 3-1 in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup and 2-1 in the Premier League in April.

Brentford has no additional new injuries. Benjamin Arthur and Josh Dasilva are still long-term absent due to a knee injury, while Antoni Milimbo just underwent ACL surgery on Tuesday.

This means that Keith Andrews will field the same squad as when he lost to Palace. Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade need to be careful because if they get a yellow card, both of them will be subject to a one-match ban.

On the front lines, Igor Thiago remains the mainstay after scoring three goals in the last three home games in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Newcastle had to lose Anthony Gordon, who suffered a pelvic injury during the match against Athletic Bilbao and most likely missed this match.

In addition, Will Osula (arid), Harrison Ashby (paha), Tino Livramento (lutut), and former Brentford player Yoane Wissa (lutut) are also still on the sidelines.

Gordon's absence will force Harvey Barnes to move to the left, while Jacob Murphy returns to play on the right chasing goals in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time.

The meeting between Brentford and Newcastle almost always presents goals with an average of 4.1 goals per game, the highest between Premier League matches that have been played at least eight times.

But this time, with Newcastle's physical condition drained due to their midweek game and poor away performance, it is likely that the match will take place more stringently.

Both teams have a chance to score, but the draw seems to be the most realistic scenario at the Gtech Community Stadium this weekend.

Brentford (4-2-3-1):Kelher; Kayode, Collins, Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmoliuk; Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade; Thiago

Newcastle United (4-3-3):Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn; Joelinton, Tonali, Guimaraes; Murphy, Woltemade, Barnes