Newcastle United welcome West Ham United to St. James’ Park on Saturday, with the two sides battling at opposite ends of the Premier League table.
While Newcastle are aiming to steer clear of the bottom three, the Hammers are looking to enhance their top-four hopes this weekend.
📈 Another important shift from @jarrodbowen_ on SundayA constant threat ⚡️😍 pic.twitter.com/fUvTNjjat8— West Ham United (@WestHam) April 13, 2021
📈 Another important shift from @jarrodbowen_ on SundayA constant threat ⚡️😍 pic.twitter.com/fUvTNjjat8
The Magpies currently sit six points clear of the relegation zone, while West Ham find themselves fourth – one point ahead of fifth-place Chelsea.
Newcastle picked up a vital 2-1 victory over Burnley last weekend, ending a wretched run of seven Premier League games without a win.
Steve Bruce’s side went behind midway through the first half, yet second-half strikes from Jacob Murphy and Allan Saint-Maximin saw them turn things around.
Having drawn four of their five games leading up to the Burnley clash, it felt as though Newcastle were on the verge of securing a much-needed win.
Finally, the Magpies have returned to winning ways and will now be eager to build some momentum.
For the first time since early February, Newcastle head into a game having scored over 1.5 goals in back-to-back outings.
As for West Ham, they come into Saturday’s clash on the back of successive victories, having netted over 2.5 goals in each of their last three matches.
After beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2, the Hammers beat Leicester City by the same scoreline on Sunday.
David Moyes will be pleased that his men have been able to score three goals in each of their last three games, but he will be slightly concerned about their recent defensive lapses.
West Ham narrowly avoided relegation last season, yet they are now genuine challengers for a Champions League spot.
Looking at the bigger picture, the Hammers have only lost two of their last ten Premier League games and three of their previous 17.
Head-to-head: Newcastle claimed a 2-0 victory over West Ham on the opening day of the season, with Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick getting on the scoresheet.
In fact, West Ham have failed to win any of their last three competitive meetings with Newcastle, recording one draw and two losses.
Team news: Isaac Hayden, Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Ryan Fraser are all currently injured for Newcastle.
On the flip side, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice, Michail Antonio, Darren Randolph and Andriy Yarmolenko are sidelined for the Hammers.
Newcastle picked up a vital win last weekend, but there is no denying that West Ham should win this one.
Forebet predicts that West Ham will score over 2.5 goals en route to beating the Magpies on Saturday.