West Ham v Newcastle preview: Hammers aim for another survival boost
On a weekend that saw two Premier League (PL) managerial casualties, Irons’ boss David Moyes can’t underestimate the magnitude of that win, one that provisionally steered them away from the immediate clutches of relegation.
On paper, West Ham arguably face the trickiest relegation run-in of all, largely because they’re playing midweek and weekend football from now up until the beginning of May, a fixture schedule that will become even more hectic should their UEFA Europa Conference League journey continue.
Playing at home should help boost any tired legs though, with West Ham unbeaten in five PL home matches (W3, D2), their longest such run of the season.
That record comes under serious threat against Newcastle, with the Magpies finding their mojo again at just the right time of the season.
A three-match winning PL run is bookended by a convincing 2-0 victory over top-four rivals Manchester United at the weekend, a result Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has urged his side to “build on” as their push for a first PL top-four finish since 2002/03 gathers momentum.
Newcastle won’t mind hitting the road in search of rising to Howe’s challenge, with their only defeat across their last ten travelling PL games coming at the hands of Manchester City (W5, D4).
The Magpies have been similarly high-flying on their visits to London too, avoiding defeat in all four of their PL visits to the capital so far this season (W2, D2), last piecing together a longer such unbeaten run over nine years ago.
Players to watch: In search of a small piece of history, West Ham’s Danny Ings knows a goal here would see him become only the third player in history to score a PL goal against Newcastle with four different clubs.
While attention will fall on Newcastle's big-hitters, Joe Willock has ghosted under the radar of late, with three goal contributions (G1, A2) from his last three PL starts.
Hot stat: West Ham are the only side in Europe’s top-five leagues yet to score a goal inside the opening 15 minutes this season.
