Match Preview: Brighton v Newcastle, the most boring game in PL history
Here’s a statistic for you to kick start our Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United match preview – Seagulls against Toon is officially the most boring fixture in Premier League history.
The six meetings since we won promotion from the Championship together in 2017 have averaged just 0.66 goals per game. No other top flight match has ever been as devoid of entertainment.
Will that change at St James’ Park? Let’s hope so. July’s 0-0 draw was so dire that I ended up spending the second half looking at sofas out of boredom.
If you follow WeAreBrighton.com on Twitter, then you may remember we asked for our followers favourite of three potential sofas with about 70 minutes of the game played.
We can exclusively reveal in this match preview that the new sofa turns up at the start of October, making Brighton 0-0 Newcastle the most costly Albion game I’ve ever watched. Yes, even more so than when buying a couple of bags of Starbust at the Amex.
A few shots on target from at least one of the teams are needed this time please. I really do not want to find myself driven to buying a new washing machine or fridge freezer by 3.30pm.
Newcastle United this season
It has been a bit of a strange summer at Newcastle United. Firstly, there was the failed takeover bid from Saudi Arabia. This led some Toon fans to claim that they had suffered mental breakdowns and emotional trauma because the Premier League did not allow a regime who lures its critics to embassies, murders them and cuts them up into little pieces to buy a top flight club.
Whilst all this was going on, Steve Bruce has been quietly building a very good squad. Callum Wilson is a proven Premier League striker and exactly the sort of player Brighton should have at least been taking an interest in; Jamal Lewis is one of the most highly rated left backs in the country who Liverpool wanted to sign; Ryan Fraser frequently features near the top of the assist charts and Jeff Hendrick on a free as a solid acquisition given the role he has played in Burnley’s success.
Newcastle began the campaign with a 2-0 win over West Ham United last weekend. Obviously, West Ham have become a complete basket case over the past nine months so that result should be taken with a large pinch of salt, but even so an away win that comfortable augurs well for the season ahead.
This is easily the strongest squad that Newcastle have had in the top flight for some time. A top 10 finish should be achievable, something which might stop the locals on Tyneside wailing that the Premier League does not have its first Human Rights Derby between Newcastle and Manchester City.
Recent form
As well as beating West Ham on the opening day, Newcastle recorded a 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup in midweek. Confidence will be high among the hosts.
Brighton meanwhile arrive at St James’ Park the proud owners of the longest current unbeaten run away from home in the Premier League. The last time the Albion tasted defeat on the road was seven games ago on January 21st in that abysmal 3-1 defeat against Plucky Little Bournemouth.
Brighton v Newcastle Head-to-Head
There have been 26 previous meetings between Brighton and Newcastle with the Albion leading the head-to-head with 10 wins to Newcastle’s nine. Seven of the matches have ended in draws, including last season’s pair of 0-0s.
We may have started our preview with the revelation that Brighton versus Newcastle is the most boring game the top flight history, but it has not always been a fixture to cure insomnia.
Among the highlights have been Brighton winning their first promotion to the top flight at St James’ Park in May 1979, Bryan Wade scoring four times on his home debut in 1991 and Gus Poyet’s You Know Who’s Albion side eliminating Newcastle from the FA Cup in back-to-back seasons in the early Amex years.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Head-to-Head record with Newcastle
Last six meetings between Brighton and Newcastle United
• Brighton 0-0 Newcastle (Premier League, 20/07/20)
• Newcastle 0-0 Brighton (Premier League, 21/09/19)
• Brighton 1-1 Newcastle (Premier League, 27/04/19)
• Newcastle 0-1 Brighton (Premier League, 20/10/18)
• Newcastle 0-0 Brighton (Premier League, 30/12/17)
• Brighton 1-0 Newcastle (Premier League, 24/09/17)
0-0. 0-0. 1-1. 0-1. 0-0. 1-0. We bet the nation cannot wait to get their teeth stuck into this one live on Sky Sports at 2pm.
Other than the dullness of it all, the other thing we should note in our preview is that Brighton are actually unbeaten against Newcastle in the Premier League.
So while the entertainment may have been dire, it is a fixture which has offered its fair share of points to the Albion over the past three years.
Team news
Adam Lallana and Ben White are injury doubts after both limped out of Brighton’s 3-1 defeat to Chelsea on Monday night. It would be a typical Brighton thing to happen should White miss out with a knock picked up after just 70 minutes of his Albion league debut, coming after a season in which he played every second of The Leeds United’s gruelling 46 match campaign in the Championship.
Joel Veltman would be the obvious choice to replace White. Who would come in for Lallana is less clear cut. Aaron Connolly replaced him against Chelsea with Leandro Trossard dropping back to the number 10 role.
That is one answer. Another is Alexis Mac Allister, who scored in the 4-0 Carabao Cup win over Portsmouth in midweek. Pascal Gross played a part in three of the goals against Pompey and Davy Propper could always return in a more advanced role than we have seen him in recent times.
Newcastle United’s danger men
Allan Saint-Maximin proved to be a real live wire last season and the Albion will need to keep him quiet. There is also the challenge of preventing Wilson from scoring, something that Brighton were not particularly good at during his time at Plucky Little Bournemouth when he scored three times in four matches against us.
Newcastle United’s weak link
Newcastle’s outstanding number one goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is currently out injured, leaving the less impressive Karl Darlow to fill the void.
If Brighton can put a couple of shots in the vague direction of the Newcastle goal this time, then there is every chance that we might actually score.
The betting value for Newcastle United v Brighton
It seems fairly obvious given what has happened in the past six meetings, but under 2.5 goals at a best priced 4/6 seems like a no brainer.
Those expecting to be particularly bored may fancy under 1.5 goals, available for 15/8. The 1-1 draw at the Amex in April 2019 is the only occasion so far in which Brighton versus Newcastle has delivered two goals in a game in the Premier League.
In terms of possible scorers, Darlow’s lack of presence in goal could open the way for the Albion to notch from set pieces. Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster are 12/1 and 18/1 respectively to score anytime.
If you fancy Newcastle to find a way past Maty Ryan, then Wilson should be your man given his record against Brighton. He is 11/5, just behind Neal Maupay at 21/10.
An interesting subplot
Many Brighton fans will feel that Wilson is a striker that we should have been after this summer. It would not be the first time we passed up the opportunity to sign him, either.
Back in 2013-14, the club considered bringing him in from Coventry City. David Burke infamously decided that Wilson would not score goals in the Championship and so we ended up signing Chris O’Grady instead.
That worked out well – and perhaps explains why Wilson is so effective against the Albion. Does he feel he has a point to prove?
A good WeAreBrighton.com memory of Newcastle United away
Losing five stone in weight on the walk up the stairs to the away end at St James’ Park every time we play there.
A bad WeAreBrighton.com memory of Newcastle United away
Forgetting to take a telescope to the away end at St James’ Park every time we play there. Not that it matters as there is normally bugger all to see going on down on the pitch.
Newcastle United’s most famous fan
Not only is Tony Blair a famous Newcastle fan, but he also used it on the campaign trail when playing football with Kevin Keegan in a school playground.
Maybe Boris Johnson could boost his ailing popularity by doing the same with Steve Bruce? Johnson could even get Dominic Cummings to drive him most of the way there the next time that Cummings decides to undertake a 300 mile journey to Barnard Castle to test his eyesight.
Prediction
For all our talk throughout this match preview of Newcastle v Brighton being a cure for insomnia, the Toon are stronger now in attack than for any of our previous Premier League meetings. There should be goals, so we will go for a 1-1.
