Overview
Newcastle's efforts to defend the Carabao Cup title this season ended in a bitter way, when they lost to Manchester City 1-3 in the second leg at Etihad and collapsed with a total score of 1-5.
Conceding 3 goals in just the first 32 minutes at a haunting stadium - where Newcastle lost 17/18 recent away matches - is clearly not what Eddie Howe wanted. The English coach admitted disappointment when looking back at both legs, especially in the context that his team missed a series of scoring opportunities.
Newcastle have currently not won 4 consecutive matches in all competitions (1 draw, 3 losses), including a 1-4 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield last weekend. With a record of 9 wins, 6 draws, 9 losses, 33 goals scored and also 33 goals conceded, the "Magpies" are currently ranked 11th, 6 points behind the top 6 when the season is still 14 rounds.
After 3 consecutive away matches, Howe's team will return to St James' Park - where they earned 69.7% of points in the Premier League this season, although the most recent home match was a 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa at the end of January.
A significant foothold for Newcastle is their head-to-head record. They have won 9/10 recent home matches against Brentford in all competitions (1 draw), scoring at least 2 goals in 8/10 matches.
In the opposite direction, Brentford just created a surprise with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa last weekend, despite having to play more than 45 minutes with 10 men after Kevin Schade's direct red card. Previously, the "Bees" lost 0-2 consecutively to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
Notably, in the last 8 rounds of the Premier League, only Arsenal (17) has more points than Brentford (16), and Keith Andrews' team also has the best defense in this period with only 7 goals conceded.
Predicted to have to compete for relegation, Brentford is currently rising to seventh and is dreaming of the first European cup spot in history. They are currently three points behind the top 6 and five points behind Manchester United in fourth place.
Brentford also has a basis for confidence when they have won 2/3 of their most recent encounters with Newcastle in the league. After a 3-1 victory in the first leg at the beginning of the season, they aim for a second double against the "Magpies" in this league - something that happened in the 1934-1935 season, when both teams were still in the second division.
However, the statistics do not stand on the side of the visiting team. London teams have only won 4/29 away matches in the Premier League at Newcastle since Howe took over in November 2021 (5 draws, 20 losses).
Even, since Howe's first match - also against Brentford - Newcastle is the team that has won the most home matches against London representatives (20). Therefore, to take all 3 points at St James' Park this weekend, Brentford will have to overcome a really difficult problem.
Personnel situation
Anthony Gordon is likely to be absent from the reception of Brentford after suffering a hamstring injury in the middle of the week. Meanwhile, Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Miley will have to have their ankles checked close to kick-off time, after both missed the loss to Man City.
Newcastle's injury list still includes Joelinton (arm), Tino Livramento (hamstring), Fabian Schar (ankle) and Emil Krafth (knee).
On Brentford's side, Fabio Carvalho, Antoni Milambo and Josh Dasilva are all long-term absent due to knee injuries. Key striker Kevin Schade is suspended after a direct red card in the victory against Aston Villa.
Expected lineup:
Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Willock, Tonali, Ramsey, Elanga, Wissa, Barnes.
Kelleher, Kayode, Van den Berg, Collins, Henry, Yarmoliuk, Henderson, Jensen, Ouattara, Thiago, Lewis-Potter.
The match between Newcastle and Brentford takes place at 0:30 AM on February 8th (Vietnam time).
