Big Match Preview: Seagulls Scrap Magpies In Amex Curtain Raiser

Friday, 12 August 2022 06:00

By Dominic Kureen @WriteOnDom

Brighton get their home campaign underway this Saturday (August 13) when they face Eddie Howe's much improved Newcastle United team.

A sell-out Amex attendance of close to 32,000 is expected, with the fervent Geordies purchasing the full away allocation in record time.

Those supporters have made St James' Park a fortress since the turn of the year, but in contrast Brighton's home form last season was among the poorest in the league, with only five wins — two of which came from the final pair of fixtures.

2021/22 Premier League home table. Credit: Footy Stats.

A string of transfer links have seen Albion in the mix for the likes of Chelsea's Ross Barkley and Los Angeles FC midfielder José Cifuentes as they seek a replacement for Yves Bissouma.

Teenage defender, Levi Colwill, was the makeweight in Marc Cucurella's £62m transfer to Chelsea and made a fleeting debut appearance at Old Trafford last weekend.

Brighton received the highest transfer fee in the club's history for Marc Cucurella.

Newcastle have played their cards closer to their chest in this window than many pundits had anticipated — the Magpies majority owners, PIF, have an estimated value of around £500bn.

They've beefed up their backline with the additions of Nick Pope, Matt Targett and, most notably, one of Europe's most promising young defenders in £33m Sven Botman.

Newcastle beat off competition from AC Milan to sign Sven Botman from Lille

Both sides ended last season well and began this one with opening day wins.

Brighton's 2-1 win against Manchester United was the stuff of dreams, while the Toon eased past newly promoted Nottingham Forest with a 2-0 success on Tyneside.

Injury and suspension news

Jakub Moder remains out until next year with a serious knee injury, but The Seagulls otherwise boast a fully fit squad from which to choose.

Newcastle's Jonjo Shelvey is expected to be sidelined until Christmas with a thigh strain.

Defenders Javier Manquillo, Federico Fernandez, Jamal Lewis, Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth are also expected to miss out.

Possible line-ups

Brighton (3-4-2-1):

Newcastle (4-3-3):

Prediction: Brighton 1 - 1 Newcastle

Graham Potter's men appeared unaffected by the loss of star players Bissouma and Cucurella as they triumphed last weekend, but their home form was a concern last term.

With Callum Wilson, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes part of a formidable Newcastle spine, a low scoring draw would consolidate decent starts for both.