West Ham vs Newcastle United
Date: 02/11/2019
K/O: 15:00
Venue: London Stadium
Referee: Stuart Atwell
Manuel Pellegrini and Steve Bruce will face off at the London Stadium this Saturday as both the Hammers and the Magpies bid to build on their respective 1-1 draws from last weekend.
West Ham limped to a stalemate at home to Sheffield United, with Lys Mousset cancelling out Robert Snodgrass’ opener. Owing to the lack of form that has seen the club fail to win any of their last four Premier League games, a number of Hammers’ fans could be forgiven for losing patience with Manuel Pellegrini, with the club already starting to face the prospect of potentially not qualifying for Europe despite an initially impressive start to the current campaign.
It is of course not too late to turn this form around, but it is these sorts of games West Ham cannot afford to drop points in, and therefore the likes of Sebastien Haller and Declan Rice should be on top form in order to restore Pellegrini’s side to winning ways.
For Steve Bruce’s side, four points in their last three games is something of an improvement since their 5-0 thrashing at Leicester, and the Geordies will be licking their lips at increasing this tally away at an out of form West Ham.
The newly found partnership of the Longstaff brothers seemed to be working wonders, but following a red card in the home game against Wolves, Bruce will have to look for a new formula in the middle of the park to win the midfield battle.
Like West Ham, it is these sorts of games Newcastle will need to gain points in if they are to reach their respective expectations, and therefore the loud support of Newcastle fans will be sure to be on top form on Saturday to urge their team to three points.
It may be too early to call this a “must-win” for both sides, however, victories will go a long way in terms of achieving their aims in the current campaign.
Team News
West Ham will continue to have Roberto in goal with Lukasz Fabianski still out, with it becoming more and more evident how much the Hammers are missing him.
Michael Antonio, Jack Wilshere and Winston Reid are also all doubts, with team selections becoming more and more tough for their Chilean boss.
Sean Longstaff begins a three-match suspension for the Magpies following his red card at home to Wolves.
There are no fresh injury concerns for Newcastle, however, Lejeune Schar, Matt Ritchie and Andy Carroll are all expected to remain sidelined for the weekend’s game.
Key Battle
Declan Rice vs Matthew Longstaff
With Mathew Longstaff without his older brother, he will have to make a large impact, particularly against the young talent of Declan Rice.
It may be tough for him to step up so early in his career, however, if he can, Newcastle will be sure to dominate the midfield and perhaps go on to win the game.
Predicted Starting XIs
West Ham (4-3-3): Roberto, Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Rice, Noble, Snodgrass, Yarmolenko, Haller, Anderson
Newcastle United (4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Yedlin, Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark, Willems; M.Longstaff, Shelvey; Almiron, Saint-Maximin; Joelinton
Prediction: West Ham 1-1 Newcastle United
West Ham may struggle against the latest resilience of the Newcastle defence, which could eventually heap further pressure on Pellegrini and the rest of the West Ham squad.
