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• Newcastle 'determined to finish on a high' at Brentford, Howe insists

  Eddie Howe says Newcastle United are "determined to finish on a high" when they travel to Brentford on the final day.

  The Magpies, who are seventh in the Premier League, travel to the Gtech Community Stadium still in the hunt to secure European football for a second successive season.

  Howe's side trail sixth-place Chelsea by three points but, boasting a superior goal difference, can leapfrog the Blues if they beat Brentford and Mauricio Pochettino's men lose at home to Bournemouth.

  The Newcastle head coach knows their destiny is not in their hands, but urged his players to be ready to pounce.

  "It's a big last day for us, there's no denying that," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference. "We go into game knowing we have to do our part, which is win the game.

  "That is no mean feat, it's going to be a tough game, and then we're in the hands of other clubs.

  "The players are determined to finish on a high. We could have got more from the last two games and we didn't.

  "We have to do everything we can to do our part. What we don't want to do is for the other teams to make a mistake and we're not there to capitalise on it."

  Meanwhile 16th-place Brentford, who can climb to 15th by bettering Everton's result at title-chasing Arsenal, are set to finish in the bottom six - their lowest final position in the Premier League. 

  Although Thomas Frank admits his sights are set on achieving bigger and better with the Bees, the head coach insists it has been a fruitful campaign with the club's top-flight status assured for another year at least.

  "This season has been a good success," he said. "Every year you are in the Premier League is a success if you are a club of our stature. I just hate saying that because we want so much more.

  "We want to be an asset to the league, we want to dream big and we want to do something special. But I am an optimistic person, I am positive, and I believe so much in this club. 

  "The culture is good. There's a good atmosphere. We are pulling in the same direction, we are aligned."

  PLAYERS TO WATCH

  Brentford - Bryan Mbeumo

  Mbeumo has been directly involved in more goals than any other Brentford player in the Premier League this season with 15 (nine goals, six assists).

  That is despite the winger playing just 24 of the Bees' 37 matches during the campaign.

  Newcastle United - Anthony Gordon

  Gordon has had a hand in two goals (one goal, one assist) in Newcastle's last two away games, taking his overall tally of direct goal involvements for the season to 21 (11 goals, 10 assists).

  With Alexander Isak also boasting 21 involvements (20 goals, one assist), it marks the first time two Magpies players have reached that mark in a Premier League campaign since 1996-97, when Alan Shearer (25 goals, seven assists) and Les Ferdinand (16 goals, eight assists) achieved the feat.

  MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE UNITED

  Newcastle have prevailed in each of the last four meetings between the sides, and are unbeaten in all five Premier League encounters.

  Brentford have only faced Crystal Palace (six) more in the competition without ever winning than against the Magpies (five).

  Newcastle have lost their final league game in just one of the last nine seasons (winning seven, drawing one), with that sole defeat coming against champions Liverpool in 2019-20.

  The Magpies are also unbeaten on each of the last six occasions they have finished a league season in London (winning five, drawing one).

  You must go back to a 3-2 reverse at Tottenham on the final day of the 1972-73 campaign for their last such defeat.

  OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

  Brentford - 37%
  Newcastle United - 34.9%
  Draw - 28.1%

• Man City star Foden scoops Premier League Player of the Year award

  Phil Foden has been named the Premier League's Player of the Year, having been sensational for Manchester City this season.

  Foden has scored 17 goals and provided a further eight assists in the top flight in 2023-24.

  The 23-year-old has been pivotal in City's quest to win an unprecedented fourth Premier League title.

  Pep Guaridola's team head into their final game of the season, in which they face West Ham at home, needing a win to guarantee the crown.

  Only six players have bettered Foden's goal tally, with the attacker enjoying his most profitable scoring season for City.

  Foden's 17 goals have come from an expected goals figure of 10, suggesting his finishing has been way above what would have been anticipated based on the quality of chances he has had.

  The England international, meanwhile, has had 99 shots, and leads City's squad for chances created (68).

  "To win this award is an achievement that I am extremely proud of," Foden told Man City's official website.

  "Overall, I've been very happy with the way I have played this season and really pleased that I have been able to contribute with the goals and assists throughout the season.

  "I'd like to thank all of the City staff, coaches and especially my teammates because without them this wouldn’t be possible.

  "And I would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who voted for me as the award means a lot."

  It is the fifth season in a row that a City player has won the award, with Kevin De Bruyne (2019-20, 2021-22), Ruben Dias (2020-21) and Erling Haaland (2022-23) having scooped it previously.

• Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive

  Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.

  Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.

  Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.

  Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.

  Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.

  They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.

  Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.

  Data Debrief

  Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.

  Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).