Newcastle take on a Brighton side on Saturday who have struggled to maintain form following an impressive opening day win at Watford this season, in a game that Steve Bruce needs to win.
The game has been described by Bruce to the Chronicle as a “cup final”, with skipper Jamaal Lascelles admitting it is a “six-pointer” while adding games between the two sides are “more than a normal game” following the Championship title-winning season.
Brighton are likely to view the game in a similar vein, although a draw for the visitors would likely represent a decent result for their manager Graham Potter.
But a draw is not in the mind of Brighton’s £20 million record signing Adam Webster, with the defender insisting the Seagulls are confident of getting three points.
He told the Argus: “It’s a tough place to go and with 50,000 Geordies screaming at us, we know it won’t be easy.
“But we did it against City, so we can go anywhere and do that. We did it against the champions and all stood up to it so there is no reason why not.
“We shall be looking to go there and win. If we prepare right and, hopefully, get a result.”
There is unlikely to be 50,000 fans at the game
He may have over-estimated the size of the crowd for Saturday’s televised encounter, with a number of seats remaining unsold for the game, but those who are there will need to get behind Bruce’s side.
The importance of beating the teams expected to be battling with us all season, cannot be underlined enough, and the fans will have a huge role to play.
With a tricky run of games following Saturday, it is imperative that we get the points on the board, and take some added confidence into the Leicester trip the following week.
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