Newcastle United visits Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, for a matchup that is as critical as it gets, when it comes to UEFA competition qualification. Brighton are not totally ruled out of reaching continental competition for next season, although it will be an uphill climb.
As for Newcastle, they’re in the thick of it for the top five, and with that, a Champions League slot for 2025-26. The Geordies are in a good spot right now, but they cannot let up, not for a second.
Newcastle United at Brighton & Hove Albion
Kickoff: Sun. May 4, 2pm, Falmer Stadium, Brighton, UK
Newcastle United Preview Material: Team News Starting Lineup Prediction
PL Form, Standings: Brighton 9th, 51 pts, LWLDL Newcastle 3rd 62 pts, WWWLW
Google Result Probability: Brighton 34% Draw 25% Newcastle 41%
After all, this is really the only thing left to watch for in the Premier League. The final month of the season just started, but the league and relegation are both already long settled. Instead it’s the faces for UCL, UEL and UECL that are TBD. Lots of acronyms in there!
The Newcastle first team selection is pretty straight-forward at this point. With Joelinton banged up, Joe Willock should take his place in the middle of the park. Otherwise, there isn’t a whole lot that changes here.
Newcastle United Starting Lineup Prediction at Brighton
Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, Tino Livramento; Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Joe Willock; Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Alexander Isak
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter