Yet another crucial game coming up tomorrow night, as we look to bounce back and keep our European hopes alive.
Meanwhile, West Ham are enjoying a bit of a resurgence and will be aiming to make it three Premier League wins on the bounce.
So, what can we expect from this one? Let’s get into the key stats, team news and everything else you need to know ahead of kick-off 👇
The Head-to-Head
Newcastle’s league form has been shaky, to say the least—three defeats in our last four Premier League games, and a slightly concerning 11 goals conceded in that time.
That said, we’re still 7th in the table with 44 points, and only Arsenal and Liverpool have picked up more points than us over the last 12 league matches.
West Ham, on the other hand, come into this one flying high after back-to-back wins against Arsenal and Leicester.
The Hammers currently sit seven places below us and a win here would be huge for them.
The last five meetings between the two sides have produced 21 goals - with an average of over four per game.
Unfortunately, that includes West Ham’s 2-0 win at St. James’ Park earlier this season.
However, West Ham haven’t beaten us at home in their last five attempts, with Newcastle taking three wins and two draws from recent trips to the London Stadium.
The Key Stats 👇
- West Ham’s Home Struggles – The Hammers have the 15th-worst home record in the league, losing three of their last five at London Stadium.
- Newcastle’s Away Day Woes – We’re at risk of losing three consecutive away league games without scoring for the first time since January 2021.
- Isak is Key – Alexander Isak has scored 19 of Newcastle’s 46 Premier League goals this season (41%). As always, if he’s on form, we’ve got a great chance.
- West Ham’s Lack of Firepower – They have the second-worst shot conversion rate in the league at just 9% and the lowest percentage of shots on target (30%).
The Team News
⚒️ West Ham
Good news for the Hammers - Lucas Paqueta could return after missing two games with an ankle injury, and Vladimir Coufal is also back in training.
They’ll also have Michail Antonio return to pitchside for the first time since his car crash in December, though he won’t be available to play.
🏴 Newcastle
It’s not such great new for us. Lewis Hall is out for the season with a foot injury, and Anthony Gordon is suspended after his red card in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton.
Newcastle have used fewer players than any other team in the Premier League this season (just 19) - and Eddie will have some tough decisions to make ahead of the final next weekend.
Our Prediction
With Newcastle’s defensive frailties and West Ham’s home struggles, it's a hard one to call.
The Hammers have tightened up at the back recently, while we’ll be hoping Isak can produce a moment of magic to get us back on track.
Given the history of goals in this fixture, I would expect a few twists and turns.
A win would be massive in our push for Europe, but we’ll need a much better defensive display to make it happen.
How do you see this one playing out?
