It's coming down to the wire. Newcastle United had blitzed into Champions League reckoning after continuing their resurgent form last season and transcending results under Eddie Howe's astute leadership.
Several weeks ago, the Magpies looked to have cemented their lofty seasonal heights and a return to European football's pinnacle after a two-decade absence appeared certain, but a late purple patch from Liverpool has put a spanner in the works.
Indeed, Jurgen Klopp's side's seven-match winning streak in the Premier League has left the Merseyside outfit within a point of third and fourth-placed Newcastle and Manchester United, though both outfits boast a game in hand on the Reds.
That match comes tonight for Tyneside, with high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion looking to cause an upset and maintain their infinitesimal hopes of finishing in the top four; Howe will be convinced of a positive outcome despite picking up just one point from the past two matches, though Albion are flourishing and dispatched title-chasing Arsenal 3-0 in north London last week.
It could be a tight affair, with both outfits pushing hard for European qualification, and as such Howe might be inclined to spark fire back into his frontline by providing £45m January signing Anthony Gordon with a starting berth.
Should Newcastle unleash Anthony Gordon vs Brighton?
It is not unfair to state that Gordon has not found the sweetest of success at St. James' Park since switching northwest for northeast several months ago.
Having forged 13 appearances for the Magpies thus far, the 22-year-old has yet to register a direct contribution and has made his past five Premier League outings from the club from the bench.
Regardless, Gordon is a top talent and has been heralded for his "fearless" attitude by Toon legend Alan Shearer, having scored three goals for Everton from 12 Premier League starts during the opening half of the current campaign.
As per FBref, the £60k-per-week ace is already a remarkable defensive outlet from further up-field, ranking among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for rate of tackles and the top 3% for rate of blocks per 90, which could be important in displacing the Seagulls attacking threat on Thursday night.
Take, for example, fleet-footed flanker Kaoru Mitoma; the Japanese gem has taken the Premier League by storm this season with his weaving wizardry and dynamite skills with the ball at his feet, hailed as "incredible" by Jermaine Defoe.
Predominantly a left-winger, Mitoma could find himself inhibited by the additional defensive aptitude of Gordon, who can bolster the efforts of right-back Kieran Trippier while looking to implement his own attacking arsenal too.
The one-time Preston North End loanee would likely replace Miguel Almiron on the right side of the offensive line, who, despite scoring 11 times in the top-flight this season, has not been in fine form recently and has bettered an average match rating of 6.8 – as per Sofascore – just once across his past ten outings.
Gordon could yet become a blistering force under Howe's tutelage, still acclimatising to the new system after departing Goodison Park.
He is a "frightening" winger – as dubbed by pundit Paddy Kenny – and starring against Brighton could be a watershed moment for his personal ascension to prominence in the Premier League.