Newcastle United Match Preview

West Ham United started March with an away victory at Everton. Can they end the month with a seventh success on the road as they travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United in today’s early kick-off?

It’s a big week for the Hammers because after this encounter, they then return home for a huge London derby against fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur in just three days time before hitting the road again with a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers next Saturday.

Since returning to the club in December 2019, David Moyes has only lost once on Tyneside and will be hoping to continue that run.

Eddie Howe’s men haven’t been involved in top-flight action since their 3-2 defeat at Chelsea back on March 11 but did suffer an early exit from the Emirates FA Cup at the hands of Manchester City a fortnight ago and will be aiming to bounce back from that particular disappointment.

West Ham would have been disappointed by the outcome of their last match too. Had it not been for a lengthy VAR intervention, they would have picked up all three points at home to Aston Villa and Moyes will be looking for his side to carry on from where they had left off before the international break.

Edson Álvarez will miss this game, as the Mexican is suspended due to collecting his tenth booking of the season. This means that Kalvin Phillips could earn only a fourth start for the club.

James Ward-Prowse could come back into midfield, while Michail Antonio will be keen to retain his place after scoring against the Villains last time out.

Mohammed Kudus has remarkably only scored one goal away from Stratford and, if he starts here, he is hoping to change that particular statistic this afternoon. Lucas Paquetá and Nayef Aguerd will also have to be assessed.

The match is a 12:30pm kick-off with live coverage being screened by TNT Sports. Build-up is scheduled to begin at 11am and the referee is Robert Jones.