Paul Merson is expecting goals when Newcastle United face Brighton on Saturday.
The Magpies are back in Premier League action after the international break, with Brighton on their way to St James’ Park.
It will be a very tough game for Eddie Howe‘s side, but Newcastle will be more confident due to the fact they are at home. Newcastle have only lost once at St James’ Park during all of 2024, and that was to Manchester City back in January.
Fabian Hurzeler knows what to expect from the Newcastle crowd, but will be confident that his Brighton team can do well after a bright start to the campaign. They are currently sixth, one place above Newcastle due to goal difference.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 5 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 |  BrightonBrighton | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 12 |
| 7 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 12 |
| 8 |  FulhamFulham | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 11 |
But while the two sides are level on points, they have had contrasting starts to the campaign. Brighton have been one of the most exciting teams to watch, while Newcastle have picked up more points than their performances deserve.
However, there is hope that Howe’s side have turned the corner, while Newcastle will be boosted by the returns of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson.
Paul Merson predicts Newcastle vs Brighton
They are match winners for Newcastle United, but Paul Merson does not think there will be a winner at St James’ Park on Saturday.
As part of his weekly column for Sportskeeda, Merson has predicted that Newcastle and Brighton will end in a draw.
“This will be a really good game,” he wrote.
“Brighton and Newcastle are sixth and seventh, respectively on same points. But quite honestly, Brighton are playing way better at the moment. I expect both teams to have a go at it and there will be plenty of goals in this one.
“It’s so hard to keep it tight at the back and score many goals, difficult job and very few teams in the world are consistently good at it. I’m certain that Newcastle will be a force going forward in this game, but I also feel they will leave the back door open in the process. This is where Brighton can take advantage and punish their opponents.
“As things stand, I’d probably go Newcastle to finish above Brighton. It’s only just though, there’s not much between these teams.”
Merson’s prediction: Newcastle 2 Brighton 2
Paul Merson’s recent Newcastle prediction record
When it comes to predicting the Magpies’ results, Merson has been pretty impressive in recent weeks.
Merson correctly predicted a draw between Newcastle and Everton before the international break, while he did say that Eddie Howe’s first loss of the season would come away to Fulham.
In fact, out of Newcastle’s seven Premier League games so far, Merson has predicted the correct result on five occasions.
He has tipped a draw for Saturday, and whether or not that would be a positive result remains to be seen. Newcastle should fancy themselves to beat anyone at home, but Brighton can be a very tricky opponent.
The Magpies were unable to beat the Seagulls last season, losing 3-1 at the Amex Stadium before playing out a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.
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