Newcastle vs Brentford: TV channel, live stream, team news & prediction

Newcastle United host Brentford in a meeting between two Premier League sides desperately struggling for form on Saturday afternoon.

Eddie Howe takes to the Newcastle dugout for the first time this weekend with his new club winless (and without a clean sheet) in all 11 league games this term.

Brentford banked three victories in the opening months of the campaign but have lost their last four Premier League outings.

Here's all you need to know about this game between two teams gagging for a win.

How to watch Newcastle vs Brentford on TV/live stream

When is kick off? Saturday 20 November, 15:00 (GMT)
Where is the match being played? St James' Park
TV channel/live stream? Sky Sports Soccer Saturday/BBC Final Score (UK), Peacock Premium (US), DAZN (Canada)
Highlights? Sky Sports YouTube Channel, Match of the Day (BBC - UK)
Referee? Robert Jones
VAR? Kevin Friend

Newcastle team news

For his first Newcastle starting XI, Howe may very well have an almost entirely complete squad to select from. While the long-term absentee Paul Dummett continues to be eased back, Ryan Fraser was pictured training with his club side after citing a calf problem that forced him to leave Scotland's squad - much to the disapproval of his international manager Steve Clarke.

However, Miguel Almiron - in stark contrast to Fraser's patriotic commitment - won't finish playing Colombia with his Paraguay side until the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Read Newcastle's predicted lineup here.

Brentford team news

Brentford's rapid assimilation to top flight football was aided, in part, by a kind fixture list, but also by Thomas Frank's ability to repeatedly select a core group of players, with only one or two alterations. However, their dire run of late has coincided with a spate of injuries throughout the squad.

Alongside the long-term ailments afflicting Josh Dasilva and Mads Sorensen, Brentford will be without their first-choice goalkeeper David Raya (knee) and record-signing Kristoffer Ajer (hamstring) for the foreseeable future.

Mathias Jorgensen was forced off for an early bath in Brentford's most recent fixture with a muscle injury. To compound matters, Mathias Jensen tested positive for COVID-19 while on international duty with Denmark earlier this month.

In more positive news, Shandon Baptiste has recovered from a dislocated shoulder and Yoane Wissa may return from an ankle injury.

Read Brentford's predicted lineup here.

Newcastle vs Brentford head-to-head record

Both these football clubs have existed for the best part of 13 decades but Newcastle and Brentford have only met 12 times over the years, and never once in England's top flight.

Newcastle have twice as many victories in this fixture compared to Brentford but lost the last meeting which took place less than a year ago. The Bees' 1-0 win over their upcoming opponents in last season's Carabao Cup quarter-final 'created a new chapter' in the club's history according to manager Frank.

However, Brentford's only victory at St James' Park in any competition came while George V was England's King, as the Bees earned a 5-2 win en route to promotion from the second tier in the 1934/35 campaign.

Newcastle vs Brentford score prediction

The most recent Premier League win for either of these sides may have come more than six weeks ago, but one of these teams has been producing displays that clash with the meagre results.

“We’ve performed well in three of the last four games that we have lost,” Brentford's Frank analysed after his side afforded Norwich City their first win of the season. "If we keep performing like this, the law of statistics tells me that we will be absolutely fine,” he concluded.

Having also unintentionally ended Burnley's winless drought the week prior, Brentford aren't as likely to complete an unwanted hat-trick against Newcastle as their recent results suggest.

Prediction: Newcastle 1-1 Brentford