Fresh from picking up impressive results in Europe in midweek, West Ham United and Newcastle United face off in a Premier League cracker between two form teams on Sunday.
Four days after annihilating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage blockbuster, Newcastle United must get over the hangover when they return to Premier League action on Sunday with a tricky trip to West Ham United.
The Magpies won their first Champions League game in over twenty years with a stunning 4-1 win over PSG. Geordie boys Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff both scored to help Newcastle put Paris Saint-Germain to the sword as Champions League football returned to Tyneside with a bang.
That continued Eddie Howe’s side’s recovery after a sticky start to the season, and they are riding the wave, with five wins in their last six outings. Many pundits and fans predicted that juggling Champions League football with domestic duties could damage Newcastle’s Premier League form, but they smashed eight past Sheffield United after returning from Milan.
However, taking on David Moyes’s West Ham United is a much more difficult challenge than playing against a newly promoted side after such a taxing night in midweek. The Hammers also head into this game off the back of a European game, with the Irons having a day less to recover after Thursday’s Europa League trip to Freiburg, where they ran out 2-1 winners.
Last season’s UEFA Europa Conference League success arguably kept Moyes in charge, since the Hammers spent the majority of the season fighting for survival in the bottom half of the table. But they are back in the upper echelons of the Premier League, currently sitting seventh following a blistering start this season, with only Manchester City and Liverpool defeating West Ham so far.
Newcastle United romped to a 5-1 victory on their last visit to the London Stadium and have a good recent record against West Ham, losing just one of the last eight meetings. And here, at The Hard Tackle, we will run the rule over the two sides before they lock horns this weekend.
Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
David Moyes reacts to Bowen's call-up to the England squad 🏴#WHUFC | #TalkingPoint with @LycamobileUK 📞 pic.twitter.com/MMo1DOIAwf
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 6, 2023
West Ham United could be without the services of striker Michail Antonio, who missed the midweek trip to Freiburg in the Europa League along with Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson. Even with concerns lingering over Antonio’s availability, West Ham’s golden touch in front of goal at the London Stadium continues.
Rewarded with a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, star man Jarrod Bowen, who has contributed six goals and two assists in his past nine Premier League games, was deputised to the number nine position and could do so again here, with Lucas Paqueta offering support from the wider attacking positions.
Moyes looks to have recruited wisely after banking £100 million from the sale of skipper Declan Rice, and it will be interesting if he sticks with the impressive summer signing Mohammed Kudus or brings back Said Benrahma on the wing.
While Morocco international Nayef Aguerd might have come under some criticism for his performances, the former Rennes defender will continue to partner Kurt Zouma at the heart of West Ham’s defence, keeping summer recruit Konstantinos Mavropanos on the bench. Vladimir Coufal and Emerson Palmieri are tipped to start at right-back and left-back, respectively.
Moyes could opt for a 4-2-3-1 system, with Thomas Soucek likely to partner Edson Alvarez in the engine room and creator-in-chief James Ward-Prowse dropping in and out to make a midfield three.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Paqueta, Ward-Prowse, Kudus; Bowen
Newcastle United
Working towards the weekend. 💪
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 6, 2023
Eddie Howe will have to contend with a mounting injury list. Picking up a long-term ankle injury away at Sheffield United last month, summer recruit Harvey Barnes could be out for at least four months.
Likewise, Howe’s men will travel to the London Stadium without Sven Botman and Joe Willock. Joelinton and Callum Wilson have a chance to be included in the squad if deemed fit enough, while Emil Krafth has been building up his fitness lately and could feature in the squad.
Anthony Gordon has been a key player for Newcastle this season after taking time to settle last term following his big-money move from Everton. But he will be unavailable for this clash as he serves a one-match ban for picking up five yellow cards. Howe may rely on Jacob Murphy to stretch the game from the left flank.
Miguel Almiron seems to have caught his last-season form, with the Paraguayan speedster bagging a goal in each of the last three appearances for the Magpies, including a neat finish for the opener in midweek.
At the back, Fabian Schar, who capped a near-perfect performance with an outstanding long-range effort late on the special Wednesday night at St. James’ Park, could continue his blossoming centre-back partnership alongside club captain Jamaal Lascelles, flanked by the ever-enterprising Kieran Trippier and the towering frame of Dan Burn.
Howe will recall young Elliot Anderson for a start in the middle of the park alongside Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes as the former Bournemouth manager contends with a hectic fixture list and the demands of competing for a European spot in the Premier League.
Predicted Lineup (4-5-1): Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Anderson; Almiron, Isak, Murphy
Key Stats
- Newcastle United have kept a clean sheet in their last three Premier League matches.
- West Ham United have won only one of their last eight matches against Newcastle United in the Premier League, with their previous such victory coming by a 4-2 margin away from home in August 2021.
- Newcastle have won four of their six Premier League visits to the London Stadium, drawing one and losing one.
- Newcastle are currently enjoying a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, winning five, scoring 16 goals, and conceding one.
- Callum Wilson has scored 12 goals in 13 Premier League appearances against West Ham.
Player to Watch
James Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse has been superb since signing for West Ham from Southampton in a £30 million transfer deal over the summer, registering six assists and scoring two goals in only eight appearances. He has added an extra dimension to West Ham United’s attack with his free-kick prowess and dead-ball delivery, which more often than not are spot-on in dangerous areas.
Prediction
West Ham United 1-3 Newcastle United
This is a really difficult game to call, with both teams coming off midweek matches in Europe. Confidence will undoubtedly be running high in both camps after their recent form, and the contrasting playing styles will make this an intriguing contest.
West Ham will be eager to bring Newcastle back down to earth after the Magpies’ Champions League heroics. But Eddie Howe’s men will have had an extra day to rest and recover. It may all just come down to who gets the right breaks and finds the net at the right time. With that in mind, we expect the free-scoring Magpies to come out on top convincingly at the London Stadium at the weekend.
