Newcastle vs Brighton Prediction: Gordon can exploit Seagulls’ defence

Brighton & Hove Albion pulled off an impressive comeback victory against Tottenham Hotspur before the international break. The Seagulls were 2-0 down at half-time and ended up winning 3-2. Their next Premier League fixture sees them head to Newcastle United on Saturday (15:00), with the hosts behind them in the table only on goal difference.

The Magpies have drawn their last two league matches against Manchester City and Everton and they are winless in their last three. Read on for my Newcastle vs Brighton prediction, alongside the latest match odds and team news.

Newcastle vs Brighton Odds

Newcastle are 19/20, or a 51.3% chance, to win this match. Brighton are priced at 23/10 to take the three points, giving them an implied probability of 30.3%. The draw is on offer at 11/4 (26.7%).

Both teams to score is marketed at 4/9 and over 2.5 goals is available at 1/2.

Football Odds

Team News

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak has missed the last three matches in all competitions for his club with a broken toe, and it is unlikely he will be back in time for this fixture. This means we are likely to see Anthony Gordon fill in up top again, that is if Callum Wilson remains sidelined, but the forward is expected to be back in contention at some point this month.

If Gordon starts through the middle, we are likely to see Harvey Barnes deployed on the left again and Jacob Murphy down the right.

Young midfielder Lewis Miley is hoped to return this month as well, but it remains to be seen if he will be in the squad for this one. Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman remain the hosts' long-term absentees in the treatment room.

For Brighton, there will be some concerns surrounding summer acquisition Georgino Rutter after he pulled out of international duty with France Under-21s due to injury.

If he is ruled out of this match, we could see another player who arrived in the summer, Brajan Gruda, receive his first Premier League start, but after recently  recovering from an injury of his own, Fabian Hurzeler could opt to limit him to cameos while he builds up his fitness.

It is hoped that James Milner and Solly March will be declared fit to return to the matchday squad, with the latter having been sidelined for almost a year. Matt O'Riley, the £30m recruit from Celtic, remains out of action.

Joao Pedro is a doubt to feature with an ankle injury, so Danny Welbeck looks set to continue leading the line. Jan Paul van Hecke and Simon Adingra are also unlikely to play a part on Saturday.

Yankuba Minteh gets his first crack at his old side since switching Tyneside for the south coast in the summer, but he never actually ended up making an appearance for Newcastle. He's likely to start on the right wing at St James' Park.

Both teams to score @ 4/9

I think both teams to score is worth backing in this clash because we have two teams with a lot of quality in attack going up against each other, so there should be plenty of action on Tyneside for this one.

Both teams have found the back of the net in five of Newcastle's seven matches in the Premier League this season, and I expect this trend to continue against the Seagulls this weekend.

This market has also landed in five of Brighton's seven league games, so I think this bodes well for their meeting with the Magpies. The two sets of defences have looked shaky at times this season, particularly the visitors', who keep conceding chances when teams play over their high line.

I have opted for this selection because I think this game is a tough one to call for a result because both teams have struggled for consistency this term, and you never know what you're going to get from them each time they're on the pitch.

This was perfectly summed up with Brighton's win over Spurs, very much a game of two halves. I think it's better to play safe here, and I think both teams to score is one to have faith in.

Anthony Gordon anytime goalscorer @ 11/5

Whether this man plays out wide or on the wing for Newcastle on Saturday, I think he will have a huge impact. He will be disappointed that he was denied a third Premier League goal of the season against his former club Everton last time out, but it shouldn't weigh Gordon down too long.

He will be raring to go again after returning from international duty with England, and he will have been paying close attention to Brighton's weaknesses. Their high line has been easy to exploit when teams are playing balls over the top for quick players to run on to.

It caused them serious problems against Nottingham Forest, and I can see Newcastle deploying a similar tactic with Gordon and Barnes to run after. I think being back at home will give Gordon the tools he needs to get back on the scoresheet. He netted from the spot at St James' Park in his previous outing here against Man City.

I expect he will still be on penalty duty if Isak is unavailable, so that is also worth considering. I'm backing him to score anytime on Saturday.

Offers

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