Newcastle United and Brentford will return from a longer break than many other Premier League clubs when they face off at St. James’ Park on Wednesday.

Gamweek 30 of the 2024/25 Premier League season continues on Wednesday, which will feature six matches. The action on the day will start with five simultaneous games, including Newcastle United vs Brentford at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle United could not have entered the international break any better, beating Liverpool 2-1 in the EFL Cup final to win a trophy for the first time in decades. That stretched the Tyneside club’s winning run to two, and Eddie Howe will hope his charges continue building momentum in the run-in and clinch UEFA Champions League qualification.

On the other hand, Brentford ended a two-game winless run by beating Bournemouth 2-1 before the international break. That result lifted the Bees 11th in the standings, with UEFA Champions League qualification being a distant possibility, considering Thomas Frank’s men are only five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

The reverse fixture saw Brentford clinching a 4-2 win over Newcastle United. These teams also met in the EFL Cup quarter-final, with the Magpies cruising to a 3-1 victory. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Newcastle United

Eddie Howe has no new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Newcastle United manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Brentford on Wednesday.

The defensive unit is dealing with an injury crisis, with Sven Botman (knee), Lewis Hall (foot), and Jamaal Lascelles (knee) on the sidelines. Anthony Gordon is the only other absentee, with the English international recovering from a hip issue.

Nick Pope will take his spot between the sticks, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Brentford on Wednesday. The backline should feature Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, and Valentino Livramento.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Joelinton in the middle of the park. Finally, Alexander Isak will lead the line for Newcastle United against Brentford, with Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes being the two wide attackers.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Barnes

Brentford

Unlike his counterpart in the Newcastle United dugout, Thomas Frank has greeted a positive update on the team news front ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Brentford manager will be without seven first-team players on Wednesday.

Rico Henry is closing in on returning from a long-term knee injury. However, Wednesday’s game will have come too soon for the long-serving defender. The English international accompanies Michael Kayode (knee), Igor Thiago (knee), Aaron Hickey (match fitness), Joshua Dasilva (knee), Fabio Carvalho (shoulder), and Gustavo Nunes (lower back) on the sidelines.

Mark Flekken is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Brentford lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Newcastle United on Wednesday. The backline should feature Kristoffer Ajer, Nathan Collins, Ethan Pinnock, and Keane Lewis-Potter.

As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Christian Norgaard and Vitaly Janelt in the double pivot. Mikkel Damsgaard will reprise the no. 10 role, with Bryan Mbeumo and Kevin Schade being the two wide attackers. Finally, Yoane Wissa will spearhead the Brentford attack against Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Flekken; Ajer, Collins, Pinnock, Lewis-Potter; Norgaard, Janelt; Mbeumo, Damsgaard, Schade; Wissa

Key Stats

• Having lost their first-ever home league match vs Brentford 5-2 in September 1934, Newcastle United are now unbeaten in their last six against them at St. James’ Park (W5 D1). The Bees had failed to win their first six Premier League games against Newcastle (D1 L5) but won the reverse fixture 4-2 in December. Only in 193435 did they complete the league double over the Magpies.
• Newcastle United have won nine of their last 13 Premier League games (L4), having won only five of their opening 15 matches of the season (D5 L5). Since the first game during this period (December 14 vs Leicester), only Liverpool (10) have more Premier League wins than the Magpies (9) going into Gameweek 30.
• Brentford have won their last five Premier League away games, the longest winning run on the road by any side in 2024/25. In the competition’s history, only one team has won six successive away games in which they began the day outside of the top 10 in the table, with Arsenal doing so from December 2020 to May 2021.
• Brentford’s first seven Premier League wins this season came at the Gtech Community Stadium. Since then, their subsequent five league wins have come in away games. In the competition’s history, on only five occasions has a side seen six successive wins all come away from home, most recently Liverpool from December 2020 to April 2021.
• Newcastle United have dropped a league-low seven points from winning positions in the Premier League this season. Meanwhile, only Liverpool (19) have recovered more from losing positions in the competition this term going into Gameweek 30 than the Magpies (18).

Player to Watch

Yoane Wissa

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While Alexander Isak, Jacob Murphy, and Bryan Mbeumo were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Yoane Wissa as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s Premier League game between Newcastle United and Brentford at St. James’ Park.

The DR Congo international has scored in three of Brentford’s last four Premier League games, including the two most recent away outings. The only player to score in three successive away appearances for the Bees in the competition is Kevin Schade, who did so from January-February this season. Thomas Frank will hope Wissa is at his best for the away side to take anything from Wednesday’s match.

Prediction

Newcastle United 2-2 Brentford

While Newcastle United might feel momentum is with them after the EFL Cup triumph, Brentford’s away form is undeniable. So, there might not be much to separate the two teams, considering both can qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

In addition, Anthony Gordon’s absence hampers Newcastle United’s creativity, although Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak tend to combine beautifully. Ultimately, an evenly-contested affair should be on the cards, and The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw.