Newcastle United's last chance to regain some momentum before the EFL Cup final sees Eddie Howe's side hit the road to face West Ham United in Monday's Premier League offering.
The Magpies are reeling from back-to-back defeats and a batch of fresh selection concerns, while their hosts are out to win three top-flight games on the spin for the first time since 2023.
Match preview
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With a maximum points haul on Monday night, Graham Potter will achieve something that his predecessor Julen Lopetegui never managed during his short spell in charge of the Irons; win three successive matches in the Premier League.
Not since the days of David Moyes in December 2023 have the Hammers come up trumps in a trio of consecutive top-flight fixtures, but Potter's men were full value for their stunning derby success over Arsenal and made light work of a leaky Leicester City most recently.
Tomas Soucek being in the right place at the right time and Jannik Vestergaard's own goal propelled West Ham to a routine 2-0 triumph over Ruud van Nistelrooy's men, and as the Hammers boast a double-figure points lead over the Premier League relegation zone, they should not be dragged into a demotion dogfight in the final few weeks.
Getting the better of Arsenal and Leicester without conceding saw West Ham pick up as many victories as they had in their previous nine matches in all competitions - six of which ended in defeat - but the hosts' profligacy still sticks out like a sore thumb.
Indeed, the Irons have only managed to put away 9% of their chances in the 2024-25 Premier League season, while only managing to find the target with 30% of their shots in the top flight, making it easy to see how they failed to score in three of their four home games before Leicester rocked up.
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Coincidentally, the last time Newcastle failed to score in a Premier League home game came against none other than West Ham United - more on that later - but the obligatory Alexander Isak goal proved insufficient in a chaotic FA Cup fifth-round battle with Brighton & Hove Albion.
At the end of an action-packed 120 minutes where goals, red cards and tight VAR calls were the order of the day, the Brighton faithful's long journey was made worthwhile as the Seagulls ran out 2-1 winners at St James' Park, where the red-hot Danny Welbeck had the final say.
As a result, Newcastle's 70-year trophy drought will continue unless they can outwit Liverpool in next weekend's EFL Cup final, but the odds do not favour Howe's side after a crippling period, where a new wave of injury and suspension concerns have emerged at the worst possible time.
Two defeats from their last three Premier League games has also left the Magpies trailing the top-four places, and a side who were formerly hailed for their defensive excellence have now conceded at least twice in five successive matches across all tournaments, while also losing their last two on the road without scoring.
January 2021 was the last time that Newcastle suffered three straight losses while failing to score in any of them, but that fate could befall them if West Ham repeat their St James' Park trick from November, where the capital club ran out surprise 2-0 winners on the Magpies' territory.
Team News
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Ahead of a lengthy hearing into alleged spot-fixing breaches - which he denies - West Ham creator Lucas Paqueta is set to return from an ankle injury on Monday, and Potter has affirmed that he is in the right state of mind to feature.
Vladimir Coufal (hamstring) is also on track to be fit for the visit of the Magpies, but Niclas Fullkrug (hamstring), Michail Antonio (leg) and Crysencio Summerville (thigh) are still on the treatment table.
However, Paqueta has a fight to force his way back into the hosts' XI following two applaudable successes, as does Emerson Palmieri, who may find himself on the bench again as Oliver Scarles continues down the left.
While Potter has the best kind of selection dilemma at left-back, his opposite number Howe is bemoaning the absence of Lewis Hall, who will not play again this season due to a foot injury and joins Jamaal Lascelles (knee) and Sven Botman (knee) on the long-term absentee list; the latter has also had to go under the knife to correct a serious injury.
To make matters worse, Anthony Gordon starts a three-game ban for violent conduct after inexplicably pushing Jan Paul van Hecke in the head during the defeat to Brighton, meaning that the ex-Everton winger will miss the EFL Cup final; Harvey Barnes should now enjoy three straight starts.
On a much-needed positive, Howe has affirmed that star marksman Isak is fine to feature after suffering from fatigue and tightness in the FA Cup, and he is also keeping his fingers crossed that Kieran Trippier will shake off a back concern.
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Areola; Cresswell, Kilman, Todibo; Wan-Bissaka, Soucek, Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Scarles; Kudus, Bowen
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy, Isak, Barnes
We say: West Ham United 1-1 Newcastle United
As Newcastle count the cost of their latest fitness and disciplinary blows, West Ham should sense an opportunity to complete their first league double over the increasingly permeable Magpies since 2018-19.
However, putting chances away remains a struggle for the hosts, and even though Newcastle may already have eyes on their trip to Wembley, they can halt the Irons' winning run in its tracks to claim a creditable point.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Ben Knapton
