EDDIE HOWE will delay making a decision over who starts up front against Brentford tomorrow for as long as possible, with the Newcastle United boss admitting both Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak could not be in any better form.

Wilson maintained his remarkable scoring record against West Ham on Wednesday evening as he scored two of Newcastle’s five goals at the London Stadium, having come off the bench to also find the net against Manchester United three days earlier.

Isak found himself on the bench against the Hammers, despite having scored three goals in his previous two Newcastle matches, but responded perfectly as he lofted home his side’s fourth goal after replacing shortly after the hour mark.

Howe is unlikely to change formation to accommodate both players in the starting side at the Brentford Community Stadium, and admits he faces an extremely tough decision in the next 24 hours.

“I think I’ll leave that decision (Isak or Wilson) for another day,” he said. “I don’t think I’ll burn any energy thinking about that until I absolutely have to. They’re the problems you want to have. It’s a great situation for me to be in. I’ve been in other situations where you might not even have a player to fill the role. We’ve got two outstanding players, and I’ll try to make the right call.

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“The players have to understand when they’re playing and they’re not playing. Both players have to be honest. Alex was excellent about my decision (not to start him at West Ham), and proved that when he came on and scored. The roles were reversed when Callum didn’t start against Manchester United, and although Alex played really well, Callum came on and scored. It’s that competition that will hopefully drive both players on to give more.”

Brentford might have lost 1-0 at Manchester United on Wednesday, but Howe still expects tomorrow’s game with the Bees to be markedly different to the Magpies’ encounter with a relegation-threatened West Ham.

“I think the Brentford game will be completely different,” he said. “Brentford are in a totally different position to West Ham. The feel of the stadium will be different, the reactions of the crowd will be different. We have to be prepared. Their style of play is very strong, so it’s a totally unique test.”