Newcastle United Presents Brentford With Their Toughest Home Challenge This Season

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Thomas Frank anticipates a challenging encounter for Brentford against Newcastle United at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday. Brentford, unbeaten at home alongside Brighton and Arsenal, has struggled away, recently losing 3-1 to Aston Villa. This leaves them with just one point from seven away games, the joint-worst in the league. Frank acknowledges Newcastle's strong performance against Liverpool as a benchmark for their capabilities.

Despite not winning their last three Premier League matches, Newcastle's recent draw against Arne Slot's team offers hope. They moved above Manchester United into the top half of the table but trail the top four by six points. Upcoming fixtures against Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Aston Villa, and Manchester United present opportunities to climb higher.

Eddie Howe believes Newcastle can build on their performance against Liverpool. "It was a great game," he said. "There was a lot of quality on the pitch, and we were pleased to fight back in the end, but also disappointed to lose a lead as well in the mix of it all."

Brentford aims to capitalise on their strong home form to regain momentum. They have secured more home points than any other Premier League team this season with 19 points. This is their best start at home since 2004-05 when they had 21 points in League One.

The Bees have won their last four Premier League home games despite conceding first in three of these matches. No team has ever won four consecutive home games after conceding first each time in Premier League history.

Players to Watch: Wissa and Barnes

Yoane Wissa is a key player for Brentford, having scored in his last six home league games with eight goals total. He is just one goal shy of Ivan Toney's record of 19 goals at Gtech Community Stadium.

Harvey Barnes hopes for a starting role after being a substitute against Liverpool. He has scored seven goals in his last 13 appearances in London and netted away at Brentford twice recently.

Historical Context and Match Prediction

Newcastle has historically dominated this fixture with five consecutive wins over Brentford in the Premier League. They have also won their last five away league games against Brentford since 1992.

The Opta win probability suggests a close match: Brentford at 35.1%, Newcastle at 39.8%, and a draw at 25%. Despite Newcastle's strong record against London teams, they have only kept one clean sheet in their last 13 away games there.

This match promises to be an intriguing contest between two competitive sides aiming to improve their standings in the league.