West Ham United host Newcastle United on Wednesday to wrap up the Premier League game week 29. This is a game between two teams at stark opposites sides of the table and needs to fight for very different reasons.
Indeed, Newcastle are flying high after storming their way into the top-3 with a huge win over Manchester United. The Magpies are now looking set to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in decades and are vying for an ambitious top-3 finish too.
West Ham, on the other hand, are still tied to a relegation battle and are just only one point above the drop zone (even though they have a game in hand over 18th place Leeds United). Something has got to give when these two sides meet.
Newcastle will aim to keep their momentum alive with another big win on the road. West Ham, on the other hand, will hope their home advantage pays off and the fans can motivate the players to get a win that gets them further away from the relegation zone.
Below is everything you need to know about the clash.
Last 5 Games
Newcastle heads into this game in relatively stronger form, having won their last three successive Premier League games to solidify their grip in the top-4 race. On the other hand, West Ham have won just two of their last five league games.
West Ham: 14th
Win: 1-0 vs Southampton
Draw: 1-1 vs Aston Villa
Loss: 4-0 vs Brighton
Win: 4-0 vs Nottingham Forest
Loss: 2-0 vs Tottenham Hotspur
Newcastle United: 3
Win: 2-0 vs Manchester United
Win: 2-1 vs Nottingham Forest
Win: 2-1 vs Wolves
Loss: 2-0 vs Manchester City
Loss: 2-0 vs Liverpool
Team News
Newcastle United are missing their influential attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron, who got injured recently. He’s unlikely to be able to make it for this game after missing the United game as well. Joe Willock suffered a knock in the last game but could make this back for this one.
Ryan Fraser is out of the first-team squad and is training with the U21s after failing to impress Eddie Howe. Defender Emil Krafth suffered an ACL injury at the start of the season and is still out.
West Ham United almost have a clean bill of health when it comes to their squad. The only player they are currently missing right now is striker Gianluca Scamacca, who is recovering from a knee injury.
Possible Line-ups
West Ham United XI: Fabianski, Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Soucek, Rice, Paqueta, Bowen, Benrahma, Antonio
Newcastle United hold the advantage over the Hammers in their overall head-to-head record in their history. The two clubs have faced each other 141 times, out of which the Magpies have come out on top on 58 occasions and lost 43 times.
The last two games between them have been 1-1 draws. The last time Newcastle faced West Ham was on 4 February, in which they were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw in what was a generally cagey game.
Where the game will be decided
Newcastle managed to beat the allegations of being an ‘annoying team to play against’ and being too defensive with an encouraging performance against Manchester United.
Their attacking line is on fire and have momentum on their side, which will be decisive in their upcoming match as well. Allan Saint-Maximin is causing chaos with his dribbling and creativity, while Alexander Isak has proven himself a clinical goal-scorer since arriving in the Premier League.
Moreover, Kieran Trippier’s set-pieces pose a big goal-scoring threat on their own and Bruno Guimaraes often creates a lot of chances with his explosive style in midfield. Newcastle will take the fight to West Ham and try to trouble them with repeated attacking chances to get the win.
David Moyes’ side, on the other hand, needs to counter their threat by maintaining a mean defensive line. Declan Rice has to shield his backline and put in a lot of work to neutralize Newcastle’s midfielders.
Moreover, West Ham also have to be ruthless in their counter-attacks and set-piece opportunities to sneak away from the game with a win.
Prediction
We reckon that Newcastle will continue their good form and get another win on the road in the Premier League. Eddie Howe’s side has all the confidence in the world and their attacking players have started to click well.
West Ham won’t make it easy for them, but the Magpies should be able to outwit them and break their defensive fortitude to go away from the London Stadium with all three points.
West Ham United: 0-1 Newcastle United
Odds*
West Ham to win: 27/10
Draw: 5/2
Newcastle to win: 6/5
*By Betfair At the time of writing
Kick-off Time
The game kicks off at 8 PM GMT at the London Stadium and the match referee is going to be Craig Pawson.
