Why Newcastle United should feel confident of finishing Premier League season with a flourish

History is on Newcastle United's side as they descend upon the capital for their final bout of the Premier League campaign.

It draws to a close a mixed season for the club - one that started with high hopes and Champions League football returning to St. James' Park for the first time in two decades and although the Magpies won't be back on that stage next year, the season can still yet finish on a high.

A place in the Europa League or Europa Conference League beckons, depending on today's outcome. Still a definitive answer as to which competition will not arrive until after next weekend's FA Cup final, though that will not matter if they do not at least match Manchester United's result at Brighton.

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Of course the occasion and what is at stake can play tricks on players' minds, though so too can a look at the record books. Thankfully for Newcastle, they can do that in regard to Brentford with fondess.

Since the Bees' return to the top-flight in 2021, the two clubs have contested five head-to-heads. The first on Tyneside saw a thrilling 3-3 draw unfold, and since then the North East club have remained unbeaten with four consecutive victories.

The most memorable of those was 2022's 5-1 home triumph, when Bruno Guimaraes ran riot with two goals and an assist. At the Brentford Community Stadium Eddie Howe's men have got the better of Thomas Frank's first by a 2-0 scoreline in 2022, then by a 2-1 scoreline 13 months ago.

The reverse fixture most recently saw Callum Wilson's strike from the penalty spot earn a 1-0 win for the Magpies.

In fact, any budding statistician would have to travel back as far as 1948 to uncover Brentford's last league victory against Newcastle, when this fixture was just a second-tier punch-up. Their one point in that first meeting of the Premier League era is the only one they have ever managed in nine league meetings.

And so, with the historical wind in their sales and a string of hopeful injury returnees, Howe's team can prepare for their West London test with some added confidence.