Welcome to the Newcastle v Brentford preview.
Saturday 7th February and a 5.30pm kick-off.
Newcastle continue a hectic February fixture schedule this weekend when hosting Brentford in the Premier League.
The Toon will be hoping for some home comforts after tricky away matches to PSG, Liverpool and Man City.
Brentford are enjoying a fine season so far and will be aiming for a first win away at Newcastle in over ninety years.
This is yet another NUFC match selected for live TV with the late kick off hopefully contributing to the occasion as fans enjoy an extra two and a half hours in the boozer before the game.
Form
The past six league matches have seen NUFC win three, draw one and lose two. Wins came in consecutive games against Burnley, Crystal Palace and Leeds, whereas we drew with Wolves and have lost our last two matches against Villa and Liverpool. We’ve scored ten goals and conceded ten. The ten points gained has us eleventh in the league but a win could see us in the top seven should other results go our way.
Brentford have also won three, drawn one and lost two of their past six matches. Wins have come over Everton, the Mackems and Aston Villa, they drew with Tottenham and lost to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest. They’ve scored eight goals and conceded six. They currently sit seventh in the league and a win could push them into the top six on goal difference.
Last time out
Newcastle went to the Etihad stadium on Wednesday night, hoping to reach their third League Cup final in the last four years. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, it was always going to be a huge ask, and things got tougher for the Toon when conceding again after just a few minutes. At three goals down on aggregate, we missed golden chances from Willock and Gordon before Trippier tested the goalkeeper with a free-kick.
Unfortunately, Man City scored twice more in quick succession to make it 5-0 on aggregate and out the tie well and truly beyond doubt. The second half saw Toon roll up their sleeves and play for pride. We missed another golden chance from Wissa before Elanga scored a class goal to open his account for the club. Further chances came and went but ultimately it was Man City who made the Wembley final in March.
Brentford travelled to Aston Villa on Sunday and managed an incredible 1-0 victory against one of the surprise packages of the season. Just a few minutes after having a man sent off, the bees scored on the stroke of half-time to silence Villa Park. The second half was a nervy affair but they were able to hang on to secure the win.
Stat attack!
-Newcastle have beaten Brentford in each of their last four visits to St James’ Park.
-Brentford have visited Newcastle on eleven occasions in their entire history and lost nine of them. Drawing one and winning one.
-Brentford’s only ever win on Gallowgate came in the 1934/35 season.
Memorable match
In October 2016, Newcastle hosted Brentford in the Championship as Rafa Benitez was looking to mastermind a third straight win.
The Toon would go on to enjoy a dominant display and end the day second in the table. A tremendous first half saw Atsu fire narrowly wide and Perez have a goal disallowed, before Clark opened the scoring with a header and Dwight Gayle doubled the advantage. The points were well and truly secured when Gayle tapped home to put the Toon three goals to the good before Brentford pulled back a consolation. Newcastle were finally starting to find their rhythm after a difficult start to the Championship season and would end the season by becoming champions in the final minute of the last game of the season. Newcastle 3-1 Brentford.
Played for both
Carl Cort showed early promise when signed by Sir Bobby in 2000. The England under-21 striker took just four minutes of his home debut to find the net with a powerful header against Derby County in an entertaining 3-2 win. Unfortunately, his time at the Toon was plagued with injuries and we never really saw the best of him. A highlight of his time at Toon came in a 6-2 win over Everton in 2002 when he lashed home a volley at the Gallowgate End. He remains a case of ‘what might have been’. He played thirty-one matches for Brentford between 2009-2011 scoring six goals.
Ivan Toney began his career going through the youth ranks at the Northampton Town. He signed for NUFC in 2015 but struggled to break into the first team, making only two league appearances. After a number of loan moves, he signed for Peterborough and then Brentford, scoring sixty-seven league goals for the Bees before moving to the Saudi Pro League in the summer of 2024.
Yohan Wissa will be making his first appearance against Brentford since signing for Toon this summer. The forward spent four years with the bees scoring forty-five goals in one hundred and thirty-seven marches. He’s already netted three times for the Toon and will be looking to add to that tally against his old club.
Managers
Eddie Howe after a 3-1 defeat away at Manchester City:
“The goals were strange. They were not necessarily coming from pressure, but from individual mistakes and errors. Following on from Liverpool, it is a worrying trend. We were craving that first goal and when Manchester City get it you know our task becomes even more difficult. If you add up all our opportunities over the two ties, there was a lot of missed opportunities which has really cost us. I was really annoyed with the first-half display because I think we pride ourselves on being really organised and tactically we want to be able to hand any problem the opposition gives us, but that first half, I just don’t think we were good enough. Our duels were off. That gave us huge problems. We didn’t defend well at all, I think. So, yeah, the first half was really disappointing. Where does that leave our season? That leaves our season, we are still fighting on several fronts. I think the games are coming thick and fast, there is no let-up for us.It is painful. We obviously loved the ride that we had last year in the cup and all the moments and the experience, and we were desperate to do it again.”
Keith Andrews after a 1-0 win away at Aston Villa:
“We were excellent in the first half until the sending off. We played with personality and could have created more opportunities with the possession that we had and the territory we got to. The red card didn’t change the flow of the game, it never will change the resolve of the team because it is a collective in everything we do. Everybody left themselves out there, they were sensational. There is a solidity, there is grit, personality, and growth week-to-week and month-to-month. I like watching us. There was a calmness in the way we defended deep for large parts of the second half. There was confidence in each other. Whoever was on the pitch at any moment was so impressive. It was a performance that typified us.”
Charity
Newcastle United fans food bank will once again be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end and gratefully receiving food, money and toiletries for those in need. Of particular interest are non-perishable food and drink items (such as noodles, pasta, rice, canned food, soup, cereal, cordial, long life milk etc) as well as toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary products. Please give whatever you can, any donation is very much appreciated.
For further info and/or to donate online go to Newcastle Foodbank
Prediction
If we are to climb the table towards the European places, then it is imperative we put a run of wins together, especially with the table being so tight.
Our home form has been good this season and I fancy that to continue this weekend with a confidence boosting win.
Wissa will be desperate to impress against his old club and a later kick off time will help with the atmosphere as Toon fans enjoy something of a goal-fest. Newcastle 3-1 Brentford.