West Ham v Newcastle predictions and betting tips

Where to watch West Ham v Newcastle

Sky Sports Main Event & Premier League, 8pm Wednesday

Best bet

Newcastle & under 3.5 goals
1pt 9-5 Betfair

West Ham v Newcastle odds

West Ham 13-5
Away team 23-20
Draw 12-5

Odds correct at time of publishing

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West Ham v Newcastle team news

West Ham
Nayef Aguerd is expected to play despite a hip issue, but Gianluca Scamacca is out with a knee injury.

Newcastle
Eddie Howe says he will make some changes to freshen up his team after Sunday's win over Manchester United. Joe Willock picked up a knock in that game and is a doubt while Miguel Almiron and Emil Krafth are unavailable.

West Ham v Newcastle predictions

Newcastle put themselves in the driving seat for a top-four finish with a statement win over Manchester United and they can dig deep to stay on the road to the Champions League when they visit West Ham.

The Magpies are up to third following a highly-charged 2-0 victory against the Red Devils and are now a best-priced 8-15 to finish the season in the top four.

The Tynesiders look as if they belong among the Premier League’s elite too after doing a job on United, who were thankful to David de Gea for keeping the scoreline respectable as Newcastle won the shot count 22-6.

Newcastle are settling into life as a member of the top flight’s establishment and that spells trouble for lowly West Ham, who have taken just two points from nine meetings with the current top seven this season.

One of those points came on their trip to St James’ Park in February in a scrappy 1-1 draw. However, the reverse fixture marked the start of a slump for Newcastle and they look a different side now, ready to improve on their record of three wins from five visits to the London Stadium.

Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, vital cogs in Newcastle’s well-oiled machine, both missed the first game with the Hammers and should make their presence felt. Eddie Howe plans to freshen up his side following the energetic win over United but will be reluctant to rest either man, even with some quality options waiting in the wings.

Joelinton, Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson all came off the bench to good effect at the weekend and Wilson, fresh from scoring on Sunday, will be champing at the bit having scored ten times in 12 appearances against West Ham.

The Hammers will hope Wilson isn’t in the line-up as they aim for back-to-back league wins for the first time since October following an unconvincing 1-0 victory over Southampton.

That success edged David Moyes’s men closer to safety, but while they’ve been more solid at home of late - West Ham are six games unbeaten on their own patch in a run featuring four clean sheets - they aren’t without their problems.

The Hammers can't get out of the habit of starting slowly and are the only side in Europe’s top five leagues yet to score in the first 15 minutes of a game this season. That’s not helped by a lack of creativity in midfield and Moyes may once again take a safety-first approach when selecting his line-up.

Goals are likely to be at a premium between two relatively cautious teams but Newcastle’s extra bit of quality makes them a solid prospect to chalk up a fourth straight league success.

Key stat

Eleven of Newcastle's 13 Premier League away games have produced fewer than four goals

Probable teams

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

Newcastle (4-3-3) Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Gordon, Isak, Saint-Maximin
Subs: Lewis, Lascelles, Wilson, Manquillo, Murphy, Dummett, Targett, Anderson, Ritchie