Newcastle United face Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday and predictions have been made for the game.
A third successive win in the Champions League on Wednesday has put Newcastle United in a strong position to make the knock-out stages, but the poor Premier League form needs addressing.
Eddie Howe’s side sit down in 13th place, which is far from where they want to be, even if it’s still early days.
If they don’t get their act together soon, they could find themselves falling out of the top-four race but things aren’t getting any easier with an away trip to Brentford on Sunday.
Here are the Geordie Boot Boys writers’ predictions for the game.
Newcastle United players celebrate scoring vs Club Athletic.
Photo by Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images
Newcastle have a decent record away at Brentford – James Rutherford
While it was great to see Newcastle bounce back and beat Athletic Club in the Champions League after the West Ham shambles, this is the game that matters the most.
Going into the international break, it’s a must-win.
I’m going with my heart over my head and backing Eddie Howe’s side to beat Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
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Their record there is pretty decent, with their only Premier League loss away to the Bees coming last season. Before that, the Magpies had won three in a row in West London.
Prediction: Brentford 1-2 Newcastle United.
Newcastle’s troubling away form to continue – Jonathan Gorrie
It’s almost impossible to see how Newcastle United lift their away-day gloom here.
Next to nothing about their performance against Athletic Club on Wednesday suggested they could beat Brentford away.
Sadly, troubles on the road have dogged Newcastle for months now. They head to a Brentford team who, while not perfect, look exactly the kind of side who can punish a team playing so badly right now.
If Newcastle win, it’ll be a huge statement of intent. Fans, however, could be forgiven for not getting their hopes up…
Prediction: Brentford 2-0 Newcastle United
Eddie Howe will be forced into changes vs Brentford – Dan Murphy
With Anthony Gordon set to miss out, Howe will finally be forced into rejigging his forward line, with Harvey Barnes likely to come in.
Given Gordon’s struggles of late, that can only be seen as a positive, while Jacob Ramsey should start as well.
The changes, if made, could be enough to shake Newcastle out of their stupor but it still might not be enough to end the winless record on the road.
Prediction: Brentford 1-1 Newcastle United.