Eddie Howe urged Newcastle to continue their good momentum at home.

Newcastle United, the "Magpies," will host Brighton & Hove Albion, the "Seagulls," at St. James' Park in the 35th round of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Eddie Howe has stated that his team must continue their good momentum and performance in this match.

After conceding a goal to Eze in the last round of the Premier League, Newcastle United ultimately lost 0-1 to Arsenal. Newcastle United are currently ranked 15th in the standings with 42 points.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said, "We need to maintain the level of performance we showed against Arsenal. The team looked good and confident, and the defense was also very good. I think this is a clear improvement. We need to continue this performance at home, and our home record is not good enough, so this game is crucial for us."

“The only problem with Visa is the injury he suffered in September. When he returned, he wasn’t physically fit enough to perform at his usual level in the Premier League. His ability is unquestionable, but whether we can get him into top physical condition before the end of the season so that he can perform at his best has always been a challenge.”

Eddie Howe noted, "Since resuming full roster training, I think his performance has improved significantly, because it's difficult to help him get back into shape when there aren't enough players training. As long as he continues at this pace, I believe we'll see the best of him in the future."

“Waltmad has also been training very well. I think he has also benefited from training with 20 people, which is something we have lacked throughout the season. Now we are training on some issues that should have been addressed earlier in the season. I thought his pass to Visa against Arsenal was brilliant. It was very pleasing to see the two of them working together, and it looks like this could be a potential partnership for us.”

In addition, Eddie Howe said, "Last week I decided to make adjustments to the defense because we weren't keeping many clean sheets, and I felt we had to make changes. We changed our goalkeeper and also moved Lewis Hall's position, and I think that made a positive difference in the team's performance. This wasn't about Lewis Hall personally, but rather the result of the overall performance in that game."

“Every decision has its pros and cons, but in that game we needed a significant advantage in defending set pieces, and it was a decision made based on a holistic perspective. Every player has to fight for their position, and when they are on the pitch, they have to deliver enough to ensure they stay in the squad.”

Furthermore, in their head-to-head record, Newcastle have only managed two draws and three losses in their last five encounters with Brighton. Eddie Howe said, "We've lost a few tough games against them recently. I think those games were very close, and the results weren't ideal for us."

“People can look back at these games from a tactical perspective, and we need to turn past defeats into motivation and push ourselves to perform better in the upcoming games.”

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