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By JAMES SHARPE AT THE AMEX STADIUM and CRAIG HOPE AT ST JAMES' PARK and JOE BERNSTEIN AT MOLINEUX Published: 22: 30 AEST, 26 April 2025 | Updated: 00: 01 AEST, 27 April 2025 View comments Follow Mail Sport's coverage of the 3pm Premier League fixtures for the latest score, team news and updates from Brighton vs West Ham, Ipswich Town vs Newcastle, Wolves vs Leicester City and Southampton vs Fulham.   By Robert Summerscales Kick-off in today's 3pm games is just three minutes away. Stick with Mail Sport for all the updates from around the grounds. All eyes on Jamie Vardy here at Molineux in his first Leicester appearance since the announcement he'll be leaving the club at the end of the season. He's returned to the dressing-room after a sprightly warm-up, matching his team-mates in shots and sprints. He wants to continue playing this season so, while Foxes are already relegated, there will be plenty for the 2016 title winner to play for in the shop window. By Robert Summerscales All eyes will be on Eddie Howe as he returns to the Newcastle dugout in a few minutes. The Magpies boss has missed the last three games through illness but is back on the touchline today as his side look to take another step towards Champions League qualification. With St James' Park sure to be in full voice, Howe's return could provide a timely lift as Newcastle aim to bounce back from their midweek defeat at Aston Villa. Reflecting on his recent battle with pneumonia, Howe praised Newcastle's club doctor for acting quickly and admitted the situation could have been far more serious without swift medical intervention. 'I'm okay, ' Howe said earlier this week. 'I'm not 100 per cent physically, but I'd like to think I'm very close to 100 per cent mentally, which is the most important thing. 'I've been through a range of emotions. You take your health for granted, and when you don't feel normal it can be very difficult. But thankfully I feel like I'm on the road to recovery, and I'm delighted to be back. ' By Robert Summerscales The first Premier League result of the day is in. Chelsea have beaten Everton 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in the battle of the Blues. The only goal came in the first half courtesy of Nicolas Jackson. Chelsea have jumped up to fourth place but will drop to fourth if Newcastle beat Ipswich. Meanwhile, Everton stay 13th for now but could be leapfrogged by Wolves and West Ham in a few hours. Concerning news for Newcastle with Joelinton absent today because of a knee injury and set to see a specialist. The Brazilian is a big-game player and Newcastle have five huge contests remaining in their bid to make the Champions League. They should be OK today against Ipswich, but should he miss games against Chelsea and Arsenal in the coming weeks then the Magpies will absolutely be weaker for it. By Robert Summerscales Southampton's relegation has already been mathematically confirmed. But the rock-bottom Saints still have something to play for. They need one more point to avoid equalling Derby County's unwanted Premier League record. The Rams earned just 11 points in the 2007-08 season. The Saints currently also have 11. A draw against Fulham today would be enough for Southampton to steer clear of matching Derby's dismal tally. However, a defeat would mark their 27th loss of the season and leave Simon Rusk's side still facing a nervy run-in to avoid a place on the Premier League's Wall of Shame. By Robert Summerscales Leicester's defensive record makes grim reading. They have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 26 Premier League matches, their longest run without a shutout since a 37-game streak back in 1957. The Foxes have managed just one clean sheet all season, and hopes of ending that drought today look slim. Wolves have scored in each of their last eight matches, including an impressive 4-2 victory over Tottenham in their most recent game at Molineux. By Robert Summerscales Solly March makes his first start since October 2023 as Brighton take on West Ham at the Amex. March, whose last start came in a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City, comes into the side as one of three changes from the loss at Brentford. He replaces Yankuba Minteh, while Joao Pedro is suspended following his red card last weekend. Simon Adingra and Yasin Ayari are also drafted in, with Jan Paul van Hecke ruled out after a head injury. Kaoru Mitoma, who scored off the bench at Brentford, is again named among the substitutes. By Robert Summerscales Newcastle manager Eddie Howe speaking to Sky Sports: By Robert Summerscales There's a welcome boost for Newcastle as Sven Botman returns to the matchday squad this afternoon. The Dutch defender has been largely sidelined since suffering an ACL injury in March 2024 but is named among the substitutes today, continuing his comeback after making a handful of appearances earlier this year - with his last outing coming on February 5. There's a change to the starting XI too. Joelinton is absent, with Joe Willock stepping in to end Newcastle's run of seven straight games with an unchanged line-up. Fabian Schar, who was a doubt with a hamstring issue, has been passed fit to start. By Robert Summerscales Liam Delap is handed a start at St James' Park after overcoming a rib injury. The striker had been limited to substitute appearances in the last two games but replaces George Hirst up front today. Axel Tuanzebe is absent from the matchday squad, while Jens Cajuste drops to the bench and Leif Davis misses out through suspension. Luke Woolfenden, Cameron Burgess and Jack Taylor are all recalled to the starting line-up. Meanwhile, Conor Townsend remains sidelined with a hamstring problem. Graham Potter said in the build up that he’d rather Niclas Fullkrug have aired his frustrations in private rather than down the Sky Sports cameras but insisted he did not have a problem with him speaking his mind. Well, Fullkrug has been dropped to the bench so make of that what you will! By Robert Summerscales Southampton XI: Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Manning; Fernandes, Sulemana; Stewart. Subs: Mc Carthy, Aribo, Smallbone, Bree, Wood, Archer, Dibling, Welington, Robinson. Fulham XI: Leno, Tete, Andersen, Bassey, Berge, Wilson, Willian, Sessegnon, Pereira, Iwobi, Jimenez. Subs: Benda, Reed, Cairney, Traore, Vinicius, Cuenca, Lukic, Castagne, Smith Rowe. By Robert Summerscales Wolves XI: Sa, Semedo, Doherty, Agbadou, Toti, Ait-Nouri, Andre, Joao Gomes, Munetsi, Cunha, Strand Larsen. Subs: Bueno, Hwang, R Gomes, Sarabia, Forbs, Bellegarde, Guedes, Djiga, Bentley. Leicester XI: Hermansen, Ricardo, Faes, Coady, Thomas, Ndidi, Soumare, El Khannouss, De Cordova Reid, Buonanotte, Vardy. Subs: Justin, Okoli, Kristiansen, Skipp, Mc Ateer, Monga, Ayew, Daka, Stolarczyk. By Robert Summerscales Brighton XI: Verbruggen, Dunk, Estupinan, Hinshelwood, Baleba, Wieffer, Ayari, O'Riley, March, Adingra, Welbeck. Subs: Steele, Lamptey, Gruda, Cashin, Minteh, Mitoma, Gomez, Veltman, Tasker. West Ham XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Mavropanos, Emerson, Soucek, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Kudus, Bowen. Subs: Fabianski, Cresswell, Soler, Coufal, Fullkrug, Guilherme, Ings, Rodriguez, Irving. By Robert Summerscales Newcastle XI: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock, Murphy, Isak, Barnes. Subs: Dubravka, Ruddy, Botman, Wilson, Gordon, Krafth, Osula, Longstaff, Miley. Ipswich XI: Palmer, Burgess, O'Shea, Greaves, Woolfenden, Johnson, Morsy, Taylor, Clarke, Enciso, Delap. Subs: Walton, Chaplin, Cajuste, Hutchinson, Luongo, Hirst, Godfrey, Boniface, T Taylor. By Robert Summerscales Southampton will be hoping to end their miserable home form when Fulham visit St Mary's this afternoon. The Saints have no new injury concerns but remain without Albert Gronbaek, while Charlie Taylor is being monitored after recent fitness issues. Southampton haven't won a home league match since early November and have scored just three goals at St Mary's in 2025. Fulham, meanwhile, are again without injured striker Rodrigo Muniz and will assess Emile Smith Rowe ahead of kick-off. Marco Silva's men are looking to avoid a third straight defeat and a fourth successive away loss. Fulham won on their last visit to St Mary's in May 2023 - a result that sealed Southampton's last relegation. The Saints are going down again are in danger of making more unwanted history, with 14 home defeats in a single Premier League season looming. Can Southampton finally end their St Mary’s misery? Or will Fulham deepen the gloom on the south coast? By Robert Summerscales Wolves welcome struggling Leicester City to Molineux this afternoon looking to continue their remarkable resurgence under Vitor Pereira. Goalkeeper Jose Sa is expected to return after missing the win over Manchester United with a late injury, while Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Hwang Hee-chan are also pushing for a recall after minor muscle problems. It's a different story for Leicester, who are still without winger Stephy Mavididi due to a muscle injury and remain without Abdul Fatawu. However, Kasey Mc Ateer is back in training and could be involved. The form table could hardly be more lopsided. Wolves have picked up 29 points since these sides last met in December, while Leicester have managed just four. Pereira's side have won five Premier League games in a row for the first time since 1971 and are one of the league’s hottest teams. In contrast, the Foxes have scored just once in their last 10 matches and have failed to find the net in a league-high 15 games this season. Can Wolves complete a first league double over Leicester since 1958? By Robert Summerscales Brighton and West Ham meet at the Amex with both sides desperate to halt worrying runs of form. The Seagulls are boosted by the availability of Kaoru Mitoma, who is fit again after a heel problem, while Joel Veltman and Tariq Lamptey are back in contention following injury. Joao Pedro misses out as he begins a three-match ban, and Jan Paul van Hecke is sidelined with concussion. For West Ham, Graham Potter returns to face his former club but is still dealing with a lengthy absentee list. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is nearing a comeback from a toe injury but may not feature, while Edson Alvarez, Michail Antonio and Crysencio Summerville all remain unavailable. Brighton have lost three of their last four league games and conceded at least twice in each of their past five. West Ham, meanwhile, have failed to win any of their last six matches and continue to struggle away from home, with all four of their league wins on the road this season coming when keeping a clean sheet. Danny Welbeck could be one to watch for the hosts. He has scored more Premier League goals against West Ham than any other club. Both teams badly need a response. Will Brighton lift the Amex, or can Potter's Hammers upset his former side? By Robert Summerscales Newcastle United welcome Eddie Howe back to the dugout this afternoon as they host Ipswich Town at St James' Park. The Magpies boss returns after missing three matches through illness, and he'll be hoping to guide his side to a fifth straight home win in the Premier League. Fabian Schar is a doubt after picking up a hamstring issue in midweek, while Sven Botman, Lewis Hall and Jamaal Lascelles remain sidelined. Ipswich's survival hopes hang by a thread. They must win today to have any chance of avoiding relegation - and even then, they need West Ham to lose against Brighton. Defeat at Newcastle would confirm an immediate return to the Championship. It's an incredibly tough task for Kieran Mc Kenna's men, who could be missing as many as 10 players. Key defender Leif Davis is suspended, and top scorer Liam Delap has been struggling with a rib injury. Centre back Jacob Greaves is expected to fill in at left back, but we will have confirmed team news very shortly. Newcastle ran out 4-0 winners when the sides met at Portman Road in December, with Alexander Isak grabbing a hat-trick. The Swedish striker has an outstanding record against promoted clubs (15 goals in just 14 appearances) and will fancy his chances of adding to that today. Can Ipswich mathematically keep alive their great escape, or will Newcastle deepen the Blues' misery? Kick-off is at 3pm. What's your view?

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