Anthony Gordon’s fitness will be assessed closer to kickoff as Newcastle United prepare to host Brighton & Hove Albion at St. James’ Park on Saturday, with Eddie Howe saying the forward did part of a session on Wednesday. The match starts at 3pm BST, and Howe said the club will wait to see how much Gordon can get through before deciding whether he is ready to face Brighton.
Gordon missed Newcastle’s league matches against AFC Bournemouth and Arsenal because of injury, but Howe said it was “great to see him back on the pitch” and described him as a player of huge quality who has been missed. Joelinton is also available again after serving a two-match suspension, giving Newcastle more options as they try to stop a run of four successive league defeats and get back to winning ways.
Howe said Newcastle need to back up their performance against Arsenal at home, calling it a big upturn and saying the team looked confident and defended well. He added that the home form has not been strong enough, though he said the squad has returned to full training and reacted positively after changes to the backline last week, when Newcastle also altered the goalkeeper and Lewis’ position because they had not kept enough clean sheets.
The match is Newcastle’s penultimate home fixture of the 2025/26 season, which raises the pressure on a side that cannot afford many more slips if it wants to finish strongly. Howe said every player has to fight for his place, and he pointed to the attitude of Yoane, saying his only issue has been the injury he suffered in September and that he was not physically able to produce the quality he has traditionally shown in the Premier League when he returned.
Howe’s message was direct: the Arsenal display has to mean something, not just provide a moment of encouragement. “A lot riding on this weekend for us,” he said, and the scale of that statement is clear enough. Newcastle do not just need Gordon back in the side; they need a result that shows the improvement was real.