Brighton can mathematically secure their Premier League safety by avoiding defeat against Newcastle at the Amex Stadium on Monday night.
The Seagulls have been hovering above the bottom three for much of the season, but a point would be enough to see them renew their top-flight status for another year.
Graham Potters’ side returned to action in good form, seeing off Arsenal in their first game back before snatching a draw with Champions League-chasers Leicester.
However, three defeats in their next four games – against tough opponents Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City – left the club in a precarious position.
But a vital win over Norwich during that time kept Brighton afloat, and the Seagulls come into this game on the back of a hard-fought draw with in-form Southampton.
Despite seeing just 32% possession and registering two shots on target at St. Mary’s, Brighton managed to hold on for a vital point thanks to Neal Maupay’s first-half goal.
By contrast, Newcastle come into this game on the back of three straight losses, with defeats to Man City, Watford, and Tottenham ending the club’s promising run.
A six-game unbeaten run – which included wins against Southampton, Sheffield United, and Bournemouth – meant the Magpies were optimistic about a top-half finish.
However, Steve Bruce’s men seem to have lost their spark in recent games. After netting ten goals in their first four games after the restart, Newcastle have only managed to score two in their previous three.
With newly-crowned champions Liverpool visiting St. James’ Park on the final day of the season, Newcastle will be desperate to come away from the south coast with three points.
Head-to-head: The two teams played out a dull goalless draw earlier in the season. In fact, that was the third draw that Brighton and Newcastle have produced in their last four meetings.
It’s also worth pointing out that this fixture hasn’t produced many goals in recent years. Indeed, each of their previous five meetings have produced under 2.5 goals.
Team news: Brighton will be without injured trio Steven Alzate, Jose Izquierdo, and Adam Webster on Monday, and possibly for the remainder of the season.
Meanwhile, Newcastle could have as many as nine players sidelined. Bruce will be hoping that key men Allan Saint-Maximin and Fabian Schar are fit enough for the trip to the Amex.
If the recent meetings between these two teams are anything to go by, we should be in for a low-scoring encounter.
There will almost certainly be under 2.5 goals in this game, while a draw is the most likely result.
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