Mark Lawrenson lauds Brighton & Hove Albion's improvement and reveals scoreline prediction

In his weekly predictions column for BBC Sport, pundit and broadcaster Mark Lawrenson gave his scoreline tip for the match, backing Graham Potter's side to edge a 2-1 win at the AMEX Stadium.

Explaining his choice, Lawro contended: “Brighton will come into this game with a bit of confidence after beating Southampton last week.

“Scoring has been a problem for the Seagulls, but they got two goals against Saints - the first time they'd managed that in the Premier League since 2 January - which was another positive, as well as ending a three-game losing streak.

“I think this will be another tight game, with Newcastle sitting in as they always seem to do.

“It's hard to see the Magpies' approach changing while their key attacking players are injured - Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron are out until April - and I don't see their results improving until they return.”

Meanwhile, Lawro's sparring partner for the week, racing driver Billy Monger, opted for a dull goalless draw, and claimed: “I can't see this one being a thriller! Brighton will probably attack a bit more, but Newcastle might just stick 10 men behind the ball.”

When the two sides last faced each other, back in September, the Seagulls marched to a 3-0 win at St James' Park.