High-flyers Newcastle will make the trip to West Ham on Wednesday night, looking to continue their push for Champions League football after a thrilling victory over top-four rivals Manchester United.
There’s extra midweek Premier League action, including an intriguing contest between West Ham and Newcastle United. Both clubs are at different ends of the table, with 23 points separating the teams in the division. While the visitors are battling it out at the top end of the table and are in line for the Champions League next year, West Ham are flirting with relegation.
A hard-fought 1-0 victory over Southampton last time out was a huge sigh of relief for West Ham as it pulled them out of the relegation places. However, they can’t afford to take their eyes off the ball here, as they sit just one point above the dotted line and could very well be sucked back into the scrap with a negative outcome here.
The Irons also have European obligations to cope with in the shape of the Europa Conference League knockout rounds, making their task of survival even tougher, though David Moyes’ side won’t have to bother about that until next week.
As for the visitors, they find the mood positive in their camp. Heading into the Manchester United game interval with back-to-back 2-1 victories against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, the Magpies marked their return from the international break with a stellar display over the weekend, breezing their way to a 2-0 victory at a raucous and passionate St. James Park.
Eddie Howe’s side are well-positioned to claim a remarkable top-four finish this season. With Tottenham only drawing on Monday, all three teams from third to fifth have the same number of points, but the London side has played two more games.
There is no doubt that the Magpies will be looking to extend their recent winning streak to four league games with another top-flight statement win in east London.
West Ham and Newcastle played out a low-quality 1-1 draw when these teams last met each other, with the Magpies failing to translate their dominance into goals. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Tomorrow we take on the Toon ⚒️#WHUFC | @huboofulfilment pic.twitter.com/Mb2ZP5zUo9
— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 4, 2023
Gianluca Scamacca is out with a knee injury but remains the only absentee for West Ham. Despite Nayef Aguerd’s first-half header lifting the immediate pressure on the team, the likes of Danny Ings and Jarrod Bowen still looked isolated for large portions of the game.
Against a Newcastle outfit that has kept a Premier League-high 13 clean sheets this season, the West Ham forwards will have to be at their clinical best to secure a positive result for the London Stadium faithful.
Ings, who was signed from Aston Villa to get West Ham some vital goals, has scored just twice since then and hasn’t hit the ground running. He will be the focal point of Moyes’ 4-2-3-1 formation, a system that David Moyes has predominantly used in recent seasons. Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma are expected to provide attacking support for Danny Ings.
The Hammers are competent at the back, and Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd are two good central defenders who will be tough to beat, flanked by Thilo Kehrer and Emerson Palmieri.
The key for West Ham, as it always is, is Declan Rice. The England man hasn’t been at his best this season, but he’s still their standout performer by a mile, and he’ll need to be effective both defending and transitioning the ball forward.
His midfield partner Tomas Soucek has been out of form either, but West Ham have solid attacking midfield options in Lucas Paqueta, who will be looking to engineer some important opportunities for forward players.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Rice; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Ings
Newcastle United
Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon:
“He’s in a much better place now. He used the international break to get his ankle right. He came back ahead of schedule so really pleased with that. He’s got a brilliant mentality and I think he’s a top player in the making.” pic.twitter.com/cPTtUuEIad
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) April 4, 2023
Eddie Howe’s side travel to the London Stadium without the services of long-term absentees Ryan Fraser (dropped to the Under-23s) and Miguel Almiron (muscle), while Emil Krafth is ruled out with a long-term knee injury that has kept him on the St. James’ Park treatment table all season long.
As for fresh injury concerns, Howe largely kept things to himself in his pre-match press conference. Joe Willock, who went off holding his hamstring on Sunday, faces a late fitness test after being withdrawn early on Sunday; however, Howe is hopeful that it’s a cramp rather than a muscle injury, and he’s fine to feature at the London Stadium.
Aside from that, Howe has almost a full-strength squad to pick from, just a few ‘tired bodies’ after that huge effort just a few days ago. The quick turnaround leaves some doubt about whether Howe can field an unchanged side, with healthy rotation expected here.
The back four of Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, and Sven Botman have been outstanding this season, and along with goalkeeper Nick Pope, they form an incredibly rock-solid unit. Against the toothless West Ham attack, expect them to have another good day in the office.
Up ahead in midfield, Willock should be fit enough to start alongside the club’s best player, Bruno Guimaraes, who has been in great form since arriving on Tyneside and is superb in every aspect of the game. Sean Longstaff has proven time and again that he has a great engine on him and covers an awful lot of ground, so he remains undroppable.
Allan Saint-Maximin looked back to his best against Manchester United, but Howe could replace him with Joelinton as a precautionary measure to relax those afterburners a bit before the Brentford game at the weekend. Anthony Gordon could come in for Jacob Murphy on the opposite flank.
Alexander Isak should play through the middle, but don’t be surprised to see him substituted early in the game to give more minutes to back-up Callum Wilson, who has a stellar scoring record against the Hammers, netting three in four outings against them in a Newcastle shirt.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Joelinton, Guimaraes, Willock; Gordon, Isak, Joelinton
Key Stats
- Newcastle are undefeated in 20 of their last 22 Premier League matches.
- Newcastle United have won their last three Premier League matches in a row and have scored at least two goals in each of those games.
- The Magpies have lost just one of their last ten away Premier League matches, winning five and drawing four.
- The visitors have won ten away Premier League games against West Ham.
- Nick Pope has now kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League, the most of any goalkeeper.
Player to Watch
Joe Willock
Willock first came into the spotlight whilst on loan at Newcastle for the 2020/21 season, firing an impressive eight goals in 14 appearances to propel Newcastle out of the relegation scrap, before signing for them permanently before the start of the next season.
While the goals have since dried up somewhat for Willock in recent times, he has become a more complete midfielder under Eddie Howe, who is getting the best out of the former Arsenal man. His overall defensive and ground coverage have drastically improved, and his work rate has been second to none on the pitch.
Another piece of good news for Newcastle is that the 23-year-old is coming into his own in terms of goals and assists. He always gets into so many promising goal-scoring situations, but more often than not, his finishing lets him down.
He is expected to continue his excellent form after a strong performance against Manchester United. Willock is certain to play a role in Newcastle’s win over West Ham on Wednesday, and more goals from him are expected in the season’s final stretch.
Prediction
West Ham United 0-2 Newcastle United
The Hammers face an uphill battle to keep red-hot, third-placed Newcastle United at bay, despite having the home advantage. The Magpies usually perform better at home than on the road, but their performance on Sunday oozed class, while they remained rock-solid at the back. They have been playing at such a high level lately that they should have enough in their ranks to get past the relegation-threatened opponent on Wednesday.
