Match Preview: Newcastle United v Brentford | OneFootball

Brentford face Newcastle United at St James' Park in the Premier League on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off GMT, live on Sky Sports).

The Bees have won four of their last five away games across all competitions while Eddie Howe's side will be seeking their first league victory in a month.

Analysis, team news, match officials and more. Here's everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Pre-match Analysis

Stephen Gillett, Playmaker Stats: Newcastle's formidable home form v Brentford's away run

Brentford have been waiting to win at Newcastle for almost a century - but the Bees' away form of late has been impressive ahead of Saturday's clash between the two sides.

A 5-2 win back in 1934 remains Brentford's solitary victory at St James' Park, the Magpies' home since 1892.

Keith Andrews' side take on the Toon buoyed by a 1-0 win at high-flying Aston Villa last weekend - their fourth away victory in five across all competitions. However, the Bees breaking their hoodoo in the north east represents a tall order.

Eddie Howe's men have struggled without their vociferous home support this term - only Wolves, Burnley and Leeds collecting fewer away points. At home, however, Newcastle have been formidable: only a handful of teams have picked up more points on their own patch than the Magpies’ 23 - Brentford (24) among them.

Two-thirds of Newcastle’s 33 top-flight goals have been scored at home, with captain Bruno Guimarães notching all but one of his career-high eight Premier League goals this term in front of the St James' Park faithful.

Midfielders who blend bite, poise and goals are scarce, but Guimarães is one of them - and the third most-fouled player in the top flight this season is set to feature after recovering from an ankle injury.

While Guimarães has contributed from central areas, Newcastle have suffered a notable drop-off in output from wide positions. Jacob Murphy, Lewis Hall, Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier, Harvey Barnes and Tino Livramento combined for 30 assists last season, but those same players - plus Anthony Elanga - have supplied just five Premier League assists between them this time around.

The statistics suggest that this slump is not for want of trying. Newcastle lead the Premier League for attempted crosses this season, but only 3.83 of the 18.79 they average per game find their target. The Magpies are also one of only two sides to strike the woodwork on 10 or more occasions, with Manchester United the other.

One of the more possession-based sides in the division, Howe’s team are noticeably more direct at home, averaging 52 per cent possession at St James’ Park compared to 56 per cent on their travels.

Opta's direct speed metric therefore suggests that Saturday's encounter will be a fascinating battle between two of the top tier's most 'vertical' sides. 'Direct speed' measures how quickly teams move the ball upfield towards their opponent's goal, and Newcastle rank behind only Crystal Palace (2.10) and Brentford (1.95) in this regard this season.

Brentford (14.57 per cent) may have the best shot conversion rate in the Premier League, but the Bees may need patience if they are to end their 92-year wait for victory on Tyneside.

Newcastle are one of only three teams - alongside Fulham and Manchester City - yet to concede in the opening 15 minutes of a Premier League match this term.

Conversely, the Magpies have shipped more goals in stoppage-time time than any other side (seven), a statistic that will not go unnoticed by Brentford, who lead the league with six goals scored after the 90-minute mark.

Scout Report

Dan Long, Sky Sports: Newcastle facing the consequences of competing on multiple fronts

To say Newcastle have become victims of their own success would be too strong when there is so much going for them in 2025/26.

But right now, they are experiencing just how hectic a season can be when you compete on multiple fronts - and compete well.

Brentford’s visit to St James’ Park on Saturday will mark their 39th game of the season. There are still another 13 to play in the Premier League, at least one more in the FA Cup and at least another two in the Champions League.

They have reached the knockout stages of the latter competition for the first time in their history, but a trip to Azerbaijan to face Qarabag is, arguably, the last thing they need right now. As the crow flies, Newcastle and Baku are around 2,500 miles apart, and there’s also a four-hour time difference to contend with.

"I don't think we'll look at those games as a negative; we'll look at them very much as a positive,” Eddie Howe said, speaking to TNT Sports after the Magpies’ final league phase game against Paris Saint-Germain.

“We're in a busy schedule, we've had a lot of games this season and, I've got to say, the players are responding brilliantly to it. This is just another challenge they are going to have to rise to."

Over the past three seasons, Howe’s side have thrived in the Premier League, with fourth, seventh and fifth-place finishes, but this might well be a year where they forgo such a lofty league position, as a result of their grinds elsewhere.

The away form was poor before the trip to Brentford in November, and while it has improved, the record is still among the worst in the division at two wins, four draws and six defeats. As a result, Newcastle sit 11th on 33 points which, in fairness, is far from the end of the world.

But according to Opta Analyst data, they are fifth in the Expected Points table, with 38.7 - almost six more than their actual tally. In the current iteration of the predicted final table, they are finishing eighth with 53.32 points. Should reality pan out the same way, it would represent their lowest finish since 2021/22.

That should serve as a wake-up call, though. Newcastle are getting used to playing in Europe again, with this being their second season in three playing on the continent. Finishing outside the top seven places greater pressure on winning a trophy - after last season’s Carabao Cup success - to qualify again.

If they can get the job done domestically, they will be able to enjoy the fruits of what has been a relentless schedule. If not, this season may serve as a reminder that competing on multiple fronts can come at a significant cost.

In the Dugout

Eddie Howe

Before turning his hand to management for the first time, Eddie Howe had a 13-year playing career as a defender, with all but two of his 312 senior appearances having been made in a Bournemouth shirt. He was, however, forced to retire prematurely at the age of just 29 at the end of the 2006/07 season.

By this time, he was already managing the Cherries’ reserve team, which he continued to do until September 2008, when manager Kevin Bond was sacked, concluding his time at the club, too. Before long, he had been re-hired as a youth coach and, in January 2009, was appointed first-team manager after a short spell as caretaker, following Jimmy Quinn’s sacking.

The odds were stacked against Howe; Bournemouth were second bottom of League Two on New Year’s Day - having been handed a 17-point deduction at the start of the year. Yet, he managed to guide his team to 12 wins from the final 21 games, which saw them miraculously survive by nine points.

Howe’s side were promoted to League One the following year but, in January 2011, he left the south coast for Burnley, where he stayed until October 2012, before returning to Bournemouth to take over from Paul Groves. He, essentially, picked up where he left off, securing promotion to the Championship in April 2013 and to the Premier League for the first time two years later.

Bournemouth were relegated from the Premier League, after five consecutive seasons, in 2020, leading to Howe’s departure from Vitality Stadium by mutual consent. After a 15-month break, he took over from Steve Bruce at Newcastle in November 2021, with the 3-3 draw against Brentford his first official game in charge, though he had to watch the game from a hotel room after contracting Covid-19.

Howe is currently the fourth-longest serving manager in the Premier League, after Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Marco Silva, and one of only 11 in the top four divisions to have held his post for four years or more. He reached 200 games in the job with the 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on Boxing Day and the Brentford match will be his 212th, which puts him just 43 behind Sir Bobby Robson and 60 behind Kevin Keegan.

The Gameplan

With Chris Waugh, The Athletic

Chris Waugh, Newcastle correspondent for The Athletic, has explained how Eddie Howe is likely to set up for Saturday's Premier League clash at St James' Park.

"I very much expect it to be 4-3-3 at home," he told brentfordfc.com.

"Fitness-dependent, this is the team I expect: Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Malick Thiaw, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall; Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Jacob Ramsey; Jacob Murphy, Yoane Wissa, Anthony Gordon.

"It could well be the time Wissa finally plays against his former club."

Match Officials

Madley appointed for Magpies clash

Referee: Andrew Madley

Assistants: Dan Cook and Craig Taylor

Fourth official: Robert Jones

VAR: John Brooks

Andrew Madley will take charge of his third Brentford game of the season on Saturday.

The Huddersfield-born referee previously had the whistle for October's 2-0 win at West Ham United and January's goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Gtech Community Stadium.

Madley has refereed 15 games in total this season - 11 of those being in the Premier League - dishing out 44 yellow cards and three reds.

Last Meeting

Brentford 3 Newcastle United 1, (Premier League, 9 November 2025)

Igor Thiago scored a brace as Brentford came from behind to defeat Newcastle United 3-1 at Gtech Community Stadium.

Harvey Barnes put the Magpies in front midway inside the first half before Kevin Schade headed the Bees level with just under an hour played.

Dan Burn was given a second yellow card after bringing down Dango Ouattara in the area and Thiago converted from the spot to turn the game on its head, before the Brazilian made sure of the points by slotting in deep inside stoppage-time.