Eddie Howe's team news update: Gordon injury latest ahead of Brighton battle | OneFootball

The Magpies welcome the Seagulls to St. James' Park in their penultimate home fixture of the 2025/26 season, aiming to return to winning ways following four successive league defeats.

Howe says Gordon, who missed United's league encounters with AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal due to injury, could be in contention to face Fabian Hürzeler's men while Joelinton is available for selection after serving a two-match suspension.

Here are some of the boss' main talking points from Friday morning's pre-match media briefing at the Newcastle United Media Centre...

On Gordon...

"He did part of a session on Wednesday. It was great to see him back on the pitch. He's a player of huge quality and one that we've missed.

"We'll make an assessment on his fitness closer to the game and see what he gets through today."

On Saturday's game...

"We need to keep the level of performance where it was against Arsenal. The team looked good, it looked confident, it defended well. I think it was a big upturn.

"We need to back that up at home, our home form has not been strong enough. A lot riding on this weekend for us."

On Yoane Wissa...

"Yoane's only issue has been the injury he suffered [in September]. When he returned, he wasn't physically able to deliver the quality of performance he traditionally has done in the Premier League.

"There's no doubting the quality of the player but can we get him in a physical condition to deliver his best performances before the end of the season - that's been the challenge. "Since we've returned to full team training I think we've seen a big lift in his performances because trying to get him fit with small numbers in training sessions is tough. As long as he continues to show that upward trajectory I think we'll see the very best of him in the future."

On Nick Woltemade, who scored in October's reverse fixture against Brighton...

"He's training well. I think again he's benefiting from the bigger sessions with 20 players that we've missed throughout the season and now we're beginning to work with him on the things we feel like we needed to earlier in the season but didn't have the opportunity to. "I thought his pass for Yoane was sublime against Arsenal. It was great to see those two link together and looked like it could be a potential partnership for us."

On Lewis Hall...

"I made the decision, last week, to change the backline in respect that we hadn't kept enough clean sheets and I felt we needed to change something.

"We changed our goalkeeper, Lewis' position and I thought it had a positive response to the look of the team. That's no reflection on Lewis - that's on what the team delivered in that game.

"There's pros and cons to every decision that you make but we needed the height from set-plays in that particular game. It was a collective thought around that decision.

"Every player has to fight for his place and, when you play, you have to do enough to stay in."

On Joelinton returning from suspension...

"Joey's a massive part of what we do. He's got that will to win and that determination to fight for everything. Every loose ball, every duel. He's there from the beginning of the game till the end.

"He's got that mentality that we need more of. He's the one setting the standards so, when he's not playing, I think we miss something, his unique qualities, and it'll be great to have him back available."

On facing Brighton, unbeaten in their last five meetings with the Magpies...

"We've had some tough defeats against them recently. I think they've all been pretty tight games but they've fallen the wrong way for us.

"You can look back at the games from a tactical viewpoint in terms of feeling, we need to use those past disappointments to spur us into games."