Sussex

Alexander Isak missed Newcastle's defeat at Anfield with a groin injury so he has to be a doubt for this tie too, and his absence is a massive blow for Eddie Howe's side.

Brighton have hit a bit of form since losing 7-0 to Nottingham Forest at the start of February, and have won four in a row in the Premier League and FA Cup.

The Seagulls also won at St James' Park earlier in the season, when Danny Welbeck got the winner. I remember that one because I got that prediction wrong.

People are talking about Newcastle being distracted by their upcoming Carabao Cup final against Liverpool [on 16 March] but could they actually be in line for a domestic cup double this season?

I am banking on them keeping that possibility alive here. They obviously could really do with having Isak back but, even if he is not fit, then surely Brighton cannot win there twice this season... can they?

Sutton's prediction: 3-2 after extra time

Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

The road to Wembley continues this weekend, as teams battle it out to book their spot in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

There is still lots of Premier League interest in the competition, with 11 top-flight teams all dreaming of a trip to Wembley. Aston Villa are already in the hat for the last eight after victory over Cardiff City on Friday.

The draw will take place on BBC One after Sunday's tie between Manchester United and Fulham at Old Trafford, which kicks off at 16:30 GMT and features Danny Murphy, Micah Richards and Wayne Rooney in the studio with host Gary Lineker.

If you're wondering how to follow the remaining fifth-round ties, find all the information you need here.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, we asked how well you remembered Brighton's opening Premier League game of the season.

The match against Everton ended in a 3-0 win, with Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra scoring for the Seagulls.

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton recorded a profit after taxation of £42.9m in the 2023-24 season with stellar player trading bolstering their financial performance.

The Seagulls made a profit of over £110m on player dealing, helped in no small part by the sale of Moises Caicedo to Chelsea for a British record fee thought to be around £115m.

For the 2023-24 season, the club achieved turnover of £222.4m, excluding income associated with the New Monks Farm development. The figure represents the highest turnover in the club's history.

"By way of contrast our turnover in 2016-17, our last in the Championship, was £29.2m – an incredible 762% increase in seven years," the club wrote in a statement accompanying their results., external

Chairman Tony Bloom said: "The accounts show another healthy profit for the period. We've stayed competitive on the field while also making some significant investments in terms of transfer dealings ahead of that June deadline.

"The hard work, expertise and professionalism of our board of directors, executive team, and entire staff continues to provide the platform to make this all possible. I remain incredibly proud of our club and all who work here, and I would like to thank all our staff for their ongoing efforts."

Image source, Getty Images

Newcastle have won just two of their past 15 meetings with Brighton in all competitions. They've already lost 1-0 against them at St James' Park this term.

Brighton have won each of their past four FA Cup games against Newcastle without conceding a single goal. This is their meeting in the competition since a 2-0 home win in the 2012-13 third round.

Image source, Getty Images

Two-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal Danny Welbeck says his Brighton side have a "great opportunity" to reach the quarter-final of the competition when they travel to Newcastle on Sunday in the fifth round.

The Seagulls have reached the semi-final twice in the past six years - most recently losing on penalties to Manchester United in 2023 - and will have hopes to go futher and win the club's first ever major trophy.

"It's a great opportunity, it's a great cup tie to be involved in," Welbeck told BBC Radio Sussex.

"We at Brighton are pushing and want to be involved in these type of games. We've got one to look forward to this weekend.

"It's going to be a really difficult game but one that we are going to work our socks off for like we have done these past few weeks and try and progress to the next round.

"To win the FA Cup is massive, I've done that more than once. It's great, I like the FA Cup, I really enjoy it. From growing up as a young boy and watching the FA Cup and all these special memories and special moments - it's a great to be a part of. The magic of the FA Cup lives on."

Brighton travel to the north east to face Eddie Howe's side who will have one eye on the Carabao Cup final in March. The Magpies are on a run of three losses in their past four Premier League matches.

"Newcastle are a really tough side to play against but we've been there and already have the experience of playing in front of the crowd there at St James' Park," Welbeck added.

"We know the atmosphere is going to be special. It's going to be ramped up even more but we're going to be prepared."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton boss Dario Vidosic says his side still have "belief" and want to use Sunday's game against Women's Super League leaders Chelsea (15:00 GMT kick-off) to show their quality.

The Seagulls are fifth in the division but have not won in their past six league games, while Chelsea are unbeaten.

"It's still a process," he said in his pre-match news conference. "We're still learning a lot, working on new things, new details.

"If it was perfect, we would probably be in a title race with Chelsea but that's just how it goes. We're still in a great position."

Vidosic wants his side to be persistent with his brand of football and not let standards slip against difficult opponents.

He added: "I don't really want to just sit back and hope. We want to go there, we want to try to play our football. It's hard to sometimes build something when if Chelsea come we go 'we're going to play a different style of football.'"

Here are more key lines from his news conference:

• Jorelyn Carabali will be absent "for a while" after getting injured on international duty with Colombia, but her injury is not as serious as first feared.

• It was a "proud moment" to see Nikita Parris play for England against Spain and he hopes she can push herself to be in contention for the Euros squad.

• Fran Kirby, who used to play for Chelsea, will be "massive" on Sunday with the qualities and knowledge she brings to his side.

• The international break was a "good opportunity" to train closely with the remaining players and involve the academy.

Adam Millington
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Brighton's Fran Kirby says she is "really excited" to play against her former club when her side take on Chelsea in the Women's Super League on Sunday (15:00 GMT).

The 31-year-old won eight league titles in a nine-year stint with Chelsea and moved to Brighton after her contract expired in the summer.

Kirby made an 18-minute cameo from the bench in Brighton's previous match after recovering from a calf injury which had kept her out since November and is looking forward to this weekend's game.

"Ultimately they are the best team in the league," she said. "For me, I had the luxury of training with them last year and seasons before. I know what they're all about.

"I'm always wanting to put myself against the best and I'm really excited for the game."

With leaders Chelsea being the only team in the division who are still unbeaten, Kirby said Brighton's players will need to be at their best and "do a little more".

She added: "They've gone unbeaten and there's a reason for that. They get injuries and they can go and buy one of the world's most expensive defenders. They'll make these decisions, spend the money they have to spend.

"We'll go in with belief. The last game against Chelsea was probably one of the best performances of the season. Hopefully we can learn from that game. It's going to be a case of every player doing their job - and a half."

Millie Sian
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Newcastle United (kick-off 13:45 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He managed to enjoy his birthday "a little bit" on Wednesday, but added: "There is not enough time to relax because I think the next challenge ahead of us will be tough, so we have had to prepare the best we can."

• There are no new injury concerns but there will be no returnees for the FA Cup game. He is looking forward to captain Lewis Dunk being back in contention, even if this game "will be a little bit too early".

• January arrival Eiran Cashin will be available after missing out on the squad to face Bournemouth in the Premier League earlier this week.

• It will be "very important" to "find the balance" between fielding experienced players and giving younger players a chance: "The most important thing is that we get the most fresh and most ready team on the pitch."

• This is a "do-or-die game" for the Seagulls, who are looking to progress to the quarter-finals of the competition: "The longer it goes on, the closer you get to the final. It is a chance to win something. We have to go all in and be ready to compete against Newcastle."

• With Liverpool and Arsenal already out of the FA Cup and another four Premier League sides set to exit in the fifth round, he agreed there is "for sure a chance" that Brighton could challenge for the trophy due to "less top clubs being in the tournament".

• He added: "You never know what's going to come next and this year's competition has already proven that. There have been some crazy results, so I won't say the percentage [of us winning it] is increasing but the chance to win something is always a little bit higher if the top clubs aren't there."

• He acknowledged Newcastle United's recent form at St. James' Park: "They have been impressive. They are a very athletic and dynamic team. They have lots of players who can run a lot of metres at a high speed. It's very special. They can play very intensely because of that, so we have to be ready."

• Therefore Brighton's challenge will be to make the Magpies supporters "as silent as possible" because "they are able to support their team in an unbelievable way".

• He doesn't want to over-promise during his first season at the club: "I always try to give everything for the club and I want the club to be the most successful. We can promise our supporters that we try to do everything on the pitch and off the pitch to make them proud, but we can't promise to win a title."

• Finally, on whether owner Tony Bloom and chief executive Paul Barber have made their FA Cup expectations clear: "I always know their ambition and what they want to achieve because it's a regular exchange where we always share our thoughts. They haven't called me before this game to say we have to win it. It's more of a regular exchange. Therefore, I already know their expectations."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of Newcastle v Brighton on BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday from 13:45 GMT