Newcastle team news: Gruda out, Mitoma and Veltman could return

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Updates on Gruda, Mitoma and Hinshelwood ahead of the weekend's game.

2025-10-17T10:50+01:00

Brajan Gruda started in our previous Premier League match against Wolves. 📷 by James Boardman.

Albion will look to extend their excellent home record in the Premier League when they welcome Newcastle United to the Amex on Saturday, kick-off 3pm.

Fabian Hurzeler's team have only lost one of their last 11 league home games (W6 D4), alternating between drawing (4) and winning (3) in their last seven since defeat to Aston Villa in April.

Team news

Diego Gomez is being assessed ahead of Saturday's game. 📷 by James Boardman.

The Albion head coach confirmed that Brajan Gruda will miss Saturday's game, while the fitness of Diego Gomez, Kaoru Mitoma and Joel Veltman will all be assessed.

Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Hurzeler said, "Unfortunately, some of the players didn't come back the way we sent them to the national team.

"Some of the players came back with small issues, but overall we are trying to manage it. Brajan Gruda can't play tomorrow, he won't be available. The other players, including Diego Gomez, we will have to assess today [Friday], but there's a high chance that they're an option to start the game and to play the game.

"Both Kaoru Mitoma and Joel Veltman are in training, but we still have to assess them as well. There's still a question mark on both. Therefore we have to wait to see how they're doing and then we can make a decision.

"Jack [Hinshelwood] is still out, he won't be available. But I think the other players should should be fine."

Eddie Howe on Brighton:

"It is a team that we always have tough games against; they are well managed and coached and have some very good players in their squad. I thought we played well at their place last year, one of our better away performances, and that point ended up being… pic.twitter.com/pvZZnloDYk
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) October 17, 2025

Eddie Howe also had his press conference on Friday morning, where he spoke about Joelinton, Jacob Ramsey, Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Yoane Wissa.

"I think everyone has come back okay [from the international break], there's a little concern over Joelinton but I think he has come back okay," the Magpies manager said. "We’ll see how he trains today. "Jacob Ramsey has had a couple of sessions. We didn’t want to push him too much, he trained in the break and looked good, we're pleased with where he is now. "Lewis Hall’s second scan was good news. We think he will be back during this period of games and before the next international break.

"Tino is out of the brace, there's no massive changes to the time frame that he was given, but he is feeling positive. "Yoane’s had his first time on the grass with us which was great to see. We need to step him up gradually. I know he is desperate to get out and show his worth, but it’s one step at a time now."

Their last line-up

Unchanged. 💪 pic.twitter.com/28LZfkziPv
— Newcastle United (@NUFC) October 5, 2025

The Magpies secured a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in their last outing, as Nick Woltemade added his third goal in just his fourth Premier League game.

Match facts

Brighton have never lost in eight Premier League home games against Newcastle United (W3 D5). Indeed, the Magpies are the only side to visit Brighton 5+ times in the competition without ever winning.

Newcastle United have won just two of their 16 Premier League games against Brighton (D8 L6), a win rate of 13% - their lowest ratio against any side they have faced 3+ times in the competition.

Brighton have only lost one of their last 11 Premier League home games (W6 D4), alternating between drawing (4) and winning (3) their last seven since a 0-3 defeat to Aston Villa in April.

All three of Newcastle’s Premier League away games this season have finished 0-0. In English Football League history, only one side has ever had their first four away league games of a campaign end goalless, with Notts County doing so in the third division south in 1935-36.

Newcastle have failed to score in each of their last four Premier League away games. They last went five without a league goal on the road between February and May 2015, while they’ve never failed to score in each of their first four in a single league campaign before.

Under Fabian Hürzeler, Brighton have gained 30 points from losing positions in the Premier League, with this accounting for 43% of their points total under him (30/70) – this is both the highest total and ratio of any ever-present side in the division since the start of last season.

Brighton have forced more high turnovers (56) than any side in the Premier League this season, with a league-high 13 of these ending in a shot. Newcastle United, meanwhile, have forced 104 pressed sequences, the most of any side in 2025-26.

Only Nottingham Forest (6.3%) have a lower shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season than Newcastle United (7.5%), who have scored six goals from 80 shots.

Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke has made 101 line-breaking passes in the Premier League this season, more than any other player. 14 of those have broken at least two lines, with only Marcos Senesi (16) recording more.

Nick Woltemade has scored three goals in four Premier League games, although all have come at St. James’ Park. The only players to score 4+ goals in their first five appearances for Newcastle in the competition are Les Ferdinand (4), Michael Owen (4), Loïc Rémy (5), and Callum Wilson (4).

Match referees