Newcastle Seek Redemption Against Brentford | OneFootball

Hosts Seek a Bounce from the Mid-Week Low

Newcastle United will be eager to bounce back from their midweek Carabao Cup semi-final exit at the hands of Manchester City as they host Brentford on Saturday evening.

Newcastle travelled to the Etihad Stadium with a mountain to climb following a two-goal home defeat in the first leg. Any minor hopes for a comeback were then largely extinguished within seven minutes as Omar Marmoush extended City’s lead in the tie.

The Egyptian forward added a second soon after, before Tijjani Reijnders slotted home to cap a dominant first half display, as City moved 5-0 ahead on aggregate. Newcastle improved in the second half and Anthony Elanga scored his first goal for the club to ensure that Newcastle didn’t end the tie goalless.

However, it was a bitterly disappointing night for the holders, whose defence of the Carabao Cup came to an abrupt end.

Howe Looking on the Bright Side

Manager Eddie Howe is eager to ensure his side avoid a hangover from their cup exit going into their Premier League return to St James’s Park.

He said: “It’s funny, the last two games, if you look at it and actually really analyse the games, we haven’t been outplayed – we’ve been in the games.

“Losing is such a difficult feeling; you have to deal with the defeat. You have to evolve. We are trying to do that in a quick turnaround. The main thing is the players enter the new game in a positive frame of mind.”

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

Bees Simply Buzzing

Brentford have enjoyed a fine season so far as the West London club went into the weekend seventh in the table and with European aspirations.

Their most recent league outing came last Sunday, when they secured an impressive 1-0 victory away at title-chasing Aston Villa, despite playing over half the match with ten men, following Kevin Schade’s 42nd-minute red card.

Dango Ouattara scored the only goal of the game, rather than Brentford’s usual source of goals, Igor Thiago, who was nominated for January’s Premier League Player of the Month after scoring five times as he took his season tally to 16.

With second-top scorer Schade suspended, Brentford will be relying on the Brazilian to maintain his fine form.

Manager Keith Andrews said:  “We’re disappointed not to have Kevin. We’ll miss him for the next two league games and the cup game against Macclesfield.

“Everyone else has come through a difficult game, for obvious reasons, having gone down to 10 men so early. It’s a testament to the place we’re in, physically as a team. We’re pretty much as we were.” 

Magpies Feeling the Hurt

Newcastle’s defeat at Manchester City on Wednesday was compounded by winger Anthony Gordon being forced off with a hamstring injury. Manager Howe added: “There is every chance he will miss the game this weekend, but we hope it’s not a serious injury and he’ll be back pretty soon.”

However, in a massive boost for the hosts, captain Bruno Guimarães could return. Howe revealed: “He’s getting closer, did a training session on Wednesday, he felt pretty good, so fingers crossed he’ll be fit.”

Newcastle’s injury list has grown in recent weeks, with Fabian Schär, Joelinton, Lewis Miley, Tino Livramento, and Emil Krafth all remaining sidelined.

Aside from Schade’s suspension, Brentford have no new injury concerns, with Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo, and Josh Da Silva still sidelined with long-term injuries.

Brentford will be hoping for a repeat of the reverse fixture back in November, as they came from behind to seal a 3-1 home victory thanks to an Igor Thiago brace.

A victory for Brentford would put them within touching distance of the Champions League spots whilst Newcastle are desperate for a victory to revive their season as they currently sit mid table.