West Ham v Newcastle – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

West Ham host Newcastle . The Magpies are riding high after thrashing PSG 4-1 in the Champions League whilst the Hammers have won seven of their last nine in all competitions. Newcastle won 5-1 at West Ham in this fixture last season.

West Ham Form

David Moyes’ side are having a great season. An opening day draw preceded three successive wins including 3-1 with ten-men against Chelsea and 3-1 at Brighton with just 22% possession by 3.23 xG produced on the break. A 3-1 home loss to Man City saw 29 shots allowed and a 3-1 loss at Liverpool followed to make it successive league defeats.

The team have responded nicely to those emphatic losses by winning three on the bounce. A 1-0 win at Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup preceded a solid 2-0 home win over Sheffield United in the league. In midweek, they went to Freiburg in the Europa League and won 2-1. They only produced 1.06 xG but it was enough to eke out three points.

West Ham Team News

Moyes has three injuries to navigate. Michail Antonio is a doubt with groin stiffness and if he doesn’t recover, then Jarrod Bowen could play through the middle with Mohammed Kudus starting as the right winger. The other injuries are to backup fullbacks Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson.

Emerson, Kurt Zouma, and Tomas Soucek are all set to return to the XI after full or partial rests on Thursday. Lucas Paqueta is likely to move back out to the left wing with Said Benrahma left on the subs bench.

West Ham Motivation

The Hammers won’t care about having the ball, even at home. Expect a tight and disciplined shape with plenty of men behind the ball.

Moyes’ side will use counter-attacks and set-pieces with the expert delivery of Ward-Prowse. They will play to win but wouldn’t consider a draw to be a bad result.

Newcastle Form

Newcastle’s run of three straight losses and the concerns raised are a distant memory. They lost 1-0 at Man City as they barely created a chance before losing with ten men to Liverpool at home and being thrashed 3-1 at Brighton. The response since then has been brilliant. They’ve won three out of three league matches and drew 0-0 at AC Milan in a spirited defensive display.

That draw was followed by an 8-0 win at Sheffield United with eight different players on target before a 1-0 win over Man City in the Carabao Cup. After cruising 2-0 past Burnley, they thrashed PSG 4-1 at home on Wednesday in a memorable Champions League performance.

Newcastle Team News

Eddie Howe’s squad is really stretched. Callum Wilson is very doubtful and Sven Botman is absent. In midfield, Joelinton is a major doubt and Joe Willock is ruled out. Elliott Anderson could come in to freshen things up in that area. Tino Livramento will hope for a rare opportunity at right back if Kieran Tierney is given a breather.

Up front, Harvey Barnes is out and Anthony Gordon is suspended. Jacob Murphy is set to replace the latter alongside Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak. The only other option to change things up in attack (if Wilson doesn’t recover) is to use Lewis Hall as a winger.

Newcastle Motivation

It will be interesting to see if Newcastle can rouse themselves for this match. There will be a major comedown from the PSG win and the squad is very thin due to injuries.

A draw may be a solid result going into the FIFA break. The team selection from Howe will also inform what his priorities are.

Key Stats

West Ham have won 7 of their last 9 matches in all competitions.

West Ham have won 4 of their last 5 home matches in the league (1 draw)

Newcastle have won 3 and drawn 1 of their last 4 trips to West Ham

Newcastle have 5 wins in their last 6 matches (5 clean sheets)

Newcastle have just 1 win in 5 away EPL matches (DDLLW)

Verdict

This should be a tight game with both sides having played in midweek. Newcastle had an extra day of rest, but their squad is ravaged by injuries. It may be worth backing West Ham to at least avoid defeat in this one.