Newcastle v West Ham predictions

Where to watch

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 5.30pm Saturday

Best bet

Newcastle to win & under 3.5 goals
1pt 6-5 general

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Team news

Newcastle
Star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes is suspended after being sent off against Southampton in the EFL Cup while Alexander Isak is a doubt after taking a blow to the head in the same game. Defenders Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and Matt Targett and midfielder Matt Ritchie remain sidelined but new signing Anthony Gordon is likely to be involved in some capacity.

West Ham
Maxwel Cornet, Gianluca Scamacca and Kurt Zouma are all unavailable but David Moyes has reported that January arrival Danny Ings is recovering well and has a chance of being fit.

Match preview

Just four days on from securing a first domestic cup final appearance since 1999, Newcastle can turn their attentions to strengthening their bid for a Champions League berth by beating West Ham.

The occasion of a Saturday evening game in front of the Sky cameras would probably be enough to get St James' Park rocking. But with the Magpies flying high in third in the Premier League and a Wembley date with Manchester United for the EFL Cup final on the horizon, the atmosphere is likely to be electric.

And that won’t aid the cause of their lowly visitors West Ham who, despite beating Everton 2-0 in their last Premier League fixture, still remain in some relegation danger.

The Hammers built on that win over the Toffees by recording a 2-0 victory over League One Derby in the FA Cup. But tougher tests lie ahead and they are going to need to dig seriously deep on Tyneside.

Despite finishing sixth and seventh in the last two campaigns, David Moyes’s men find themselves 16th after 20 matches and are just one point clear of the drop.

That is in complete contrast to a progressive Newcastle side, whose 39-point tally is already more than double what the Hammers have achieved.

The Magpies have suffered only one Premier League defeat this season, and that reverse came at Anfield way back at the end of August when they were undone in the 98th-minute by Liverpool’s Fabio Carvalho.

Otherwise, it has been a near faultless campaign from Newcastle and, with their supporters sure to be buzzing, it’s tough to see a travel-sick West Ham side avoiding another away defeat. The Londoners have lost seven of their ten away trips this term, avoiding defeat at only Aston Villa, Southampton and Leeds, and have managed a total of just six goals.

That lack of firepower, which has been evident for much of the season, is unlikely to cut it against the Premier League’s meanest defence, even when accounting for the suspension of key midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

Despite their injection of attacking quality, it is the defensive steel and organisation of Newcastle that has acted as the platform for their success.

The Magpies have been breached just 11 times in 20 matches, which is made even more remarkable given they shared the spoils in a 3-3 thriller with Manchester City in August.

Otherwise, Newcastle have been extremely stubborn at the back with goalkeeper Nick Pope helping his team to 12 clean sheets, including one in each of their last six league outings.

That run of shut outs may not be able to continue for much longer but it does lend itself to their games being low-scoring, especially in this fixture as West Ham can’t afford to fall behind early.

Newcastle seem decent value at 8-13 but taking them to win in a game featuring no more than three goals may eke out some extra value.

Key stat

West Ham have lost seven of their ten away league games this term and five of those defeats have ended 1-0.

Probable teams

Newcastle (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Willock, S Longstaff, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin
Subs: Isak, Lascelles, Lewis, Gordon, Murphy, Anderson, Dummett

West Ham (3-4-2-1): Fabianski; Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd; Coufal, Paqueta, Rice, Emerson; Bowen, Benrahma; Antonio
Subs: Cresswell, Downes, Fornals, Johnson, Lanzini, Soucek, Ings