Newcastle United vs West Ham United

Newcastle United’s pursuit of a first top-four finish in the Premier League since 2002/23 continues at St James’ Park against relegation-battling West Ham United.

Three of Newcastle United’s last four Premier League outings have yielded a drab 0-0 scoreline, except for a narrow 1-0 home win over Fulham, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring contest. However, the narrative could change as Eddie Howe’s men toppled Southampton 2-1 in the return leg of their League Cup semi-final tie to book their place in the first cup final in 24 years courtesy of a 3-1 aggregate scoreline. Newcastle’s impregnable defensive set-up has provided the backbone for a stellar 95% unbeaten Premier League start (W10, D9, L1), with the ‘Magpies’ registering a league-high 12 clean sheets thus far. Moreover, they have been behind for only 80 minutes in the Premier League this term, fewer than any other team.

Meanwhile, Jarrod Bowen’s first-half double inspired West Ham United to a morale-boosting 2-0 home win over fellow relegation rivals Everton in their last Premier League outing, halting an underwhelming run of seven consecutive winless league fixtures (D1, L6). Though they could win back-to-back top-flight games for only the second time this season, it’s worth noting the ‘Hammers’ have failed to win any of their last eight Premier League games on the road (D2, L6) since beating Aston Villa 1-0 in late August. Additionally, David Moyes’ charges have managed only one victory across their last six top-flight meetings with Newcastle (D2, L3), running out 4-2 victors in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.