West Ham vs Newcastle United: preview, team news and prediction

West Ham United will welcome Newcastle United at the London Stadium in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

After winning the Conference League last term, the Hammers have enjoyed a promising start to this season as they have managed to accumulate 13 points from seven games in the Premier League, sitting only three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

David Moyes’ have also had a stellar start to their Europa League campaign as they have won the first two games against FK TSC Backa Topola and Freiburg. So, they are currently full of confidence ahead of this fixture.

On the other hand, after thrashing Aston Villa on the opening day, Newcastle endured three consecutive defeats against Liverpool, Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion.

But, they have now bounced back brilliantly from the setback, winning five of their last six games in all competitions, beating Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain along the way.

The Magpies are currently only one point behind West Ham and they will be looking to close the gap with the top-four spot by winning tomorrow.

After qualifying for the Champions League this term, Eddie Howe’s side have been drawn into the group of death alongside PSG, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan.

However, the Geordies have managed to place themselves at the top of the group at the moment with four points from two games, beating Les Parisiens and drawing away to the Rossoneri. So, Newcastle United have found themselves in a strong position to qualify for the knockout stage.

The Magpies haven’t had a great time away from home in the Premier League so far this season, losing two of the three games. So, they will be looking to rectify that on Sunday.

However, defeating West Ham at the London Stadium won’t be easy as they have won two of their three games in the league at home, beating Chelsea in one of the games. But, their only defeat came against the reigning champions Manchester City.

Previous meetings

West Ham have struggled against Newcastle in recent times as they have only managed to win one out of the last eight fixtures versus the Magpies in the Premier League, losing four of them.

Newcastle have won four of their last six visits to the London Stadium, including last season’s thumping 5-1 victory over Moyes’ side.

Important stats

The Magpies managed to remain unbeaten in their seven visits to the capital last season and they have never gone on an eight-game unbeaten streak in London in their league history. So, they will be looking to do that this weekend.

West Ham have earned 13 points from the first seven games and this is their best start in the Premier League since the 2015/16 season. Victory in this encounter means they will enjoy their best start since 1999/00.

Newcastle have managed to win their last three consecutive games in the league without conceding a goal and they haven’t kept four clean-sheets in a row in the top-flight since 2012.

How to watch

The game will kick off at 2 pm UK time on Sunday but the match won’t be televised live in the UK. If you want to watch all the action live, match going fans can buy West Ham tickets at reseller sites such as Seatsnet.

Team news

Ben Johnson and Aaron Cresswell aren’t expected to be available this weekend due to injury problems, while Michail Antonio is in doubt ahead of this encounter due to a groin issue.

So, if the Jamaican – who is the pivotal player in Moyes’ team – can’t play tomorrow, then it is going to be interesting to see who will be deployed in the number nine position against Howe’s side.

As for Newcastle, several players will be sidelined for the Magpies in this encounter due to injury and suspension issues. Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes and Sven Botman aren’t in contention to feature due to injury problems, while Anthony Gordan is suspended for this fixture having accumulated five yellow cards.

Callum Wilson and Joelinton are in doubt ahead of the game due to injury concerns and it remains to be seen whether they are deemed fit enough to feature.

Predicted line-up

Moyes likes to go with the 4-2-3-1 formation and it’s likely to be the same this weekend. Alphonse Areola is expected to be between the sticks for West Ham in this fixture, while Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri should be the back four.

James Ward-Prowse should commence in the number ten role and just behind him, Tomas Soucek and Edson Álvarez could be in the midfield pivot position.

Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen are expected to be deployed on the flanks and Antonio should lead the line for the Hammers.

Expected West Ham line-up vs Newcastle

Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Soucek, Alvarez; Ward-Prowse; Paqueta, Antonio, Bowen

As for Newcastle, Howe likes to deploy the 4-3-3 formation and Nick Pope should be in goal for the Magpies. In front of the Englishman, Kieran Trippier, Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar and Dan Burn should be the back four for Newcastle tomorrow.

Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Sean Longstaff are expected to be the midfield trio, while Elliott Anderson, Alexander Isak and Miguel Almirón could be the front three for Howe’s side.

Expected Newcastle line-up vs West Ham

Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Burn; Tonali, Bruno, Longstaff; Anderson, Isak, Almirón

Key players

West Ham are heavily reliant on scoring goals from set-pieces so the onus will be on Ward-Prowse to deliver excellent crosses from dead-ball situations and very few players are better than him in the Premier League in this regard.

Zouma, Aguerd and Soucek are the main pieces for the Hammers to win headers in the opposition box and score goals. Bowen has also been showcasing his capabilities in the air this season so Newcastle will have to keep an eye on him during the set-piece situations.

The 26-year-old has started the season brilliantly, scoring five goals and registering two assists in eight games in all competitions. So, the Magpies will have to stop him tomorrow, otherwise, they might find it difficult to come away with all three points from this encounter.

Antonio’s work-rate off the ball has been one of the main reasons behind West Ham’s recent success. So, the East Londoners will be hoping that he will be able to start tomorrow and showcase his best against the Magpies.

As for Newcastle, they play as a team but, Guimaraes is the mainstay of their recent excellent displays in recent times alongside Trippier and Schar.

Isak is their main goal-scorer amid Wilson’s absence so the Magpies will be hoping that he will be able to put his name on the scoresheet in this encounter.

Prediction

Newcastle have been enjoying a stellar time at the moment and it could be hard for the hosts to stop Howe’s side’s momentum. So, it’s likely that Newcastle will come away with all three points from this fixture. West Ham 1-2 Newcastle