Fresh from dispatching top-four foes Manchester United in front of a passionate home crowd, Newcastle United will continue their quest for Champions League football when they face West Ham United at the London Stadium on Wednesday evening.
The Hammers also picked up a vital win last time out, defeating relegation rivals Southampton to move one point clear of the bottom three, but David Moyes’s men still have plenty of work to do in order to avoid the drop.
Team News:
West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski returned from injury to keep a clean sheet against Southampton, so deputy stopper Alphonse Areola will remain on the bench for the foreseeable future. On the injury front, Gianluca Scamacca is the only doubt for the Hammers as the Italian striker continues to recover from a knee issue, meaning that Danny Ings should continue to lead the line.
Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma are expected to occupy the wide attacking areas, with Brazil international Lucas Paqueta joining the ever-dependable Declan Rice in midfield.
As for Newcastle, Miguel Almiron remains sidelined through injury, while Emil Krafth looks set to miss the rest of the season due to an ACL tear. Jacob Murphy will continue to deputise for Almiron on the right wing, while Allan Saint-Maximin is expected to occupy the opposite flank and offer attacking support to striker Alexander Isak.
Despite the fact that Joelinton is back from suspension, Eddie Howe could stick with the midfield trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff and Joe Willock following the stellar performance against Man Utd.
Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn will continue to make up Newcastle’s backline, offering first-class defensive cover to Nick Pope between the sticks.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Rice, Paqueta; Bowen, Ings, Benrahma
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Saint-Maximin
Prediction: West Ham United 0-1 Newcastle United
Although West Ham have upped their game of late – avoiding defeat in each of their last five home league matches – high-flying Newcastle look set to notch a fourth consecutive victory as they continue their top-four charge on Wednesday.
