West Ham United vs Newcastle United

London Stadium forms the backdrop for what promises to be an enthralling Premier League showdown between West Ham United and Newcastle United.

Goals on either side of halftime inspired West Ham to a 2-1 Europa League triumph at Freiburg in midweek, making it three consecutive wins across three different competitions for David Moyes’ high-flying side. The  ‘Hammers’ recovered from a 3-1 battering at Liverpool with a comfortable 2-0 home victory over Sheffield United last weekend, maintaining a three-point deficit in the Premier League top four. Moyes’ men have fared exceptionally well at the London Stadium this season, winning three out of four competitive games here, except for a 3-1 loss to perennial champions Manchester City in early September. Against this backdrop, the ‘Irons’ have massively struggled in their recent home league H2Hs against Newcastle, going winless in the last four in a row (D1, L3) while conceding multiple goals in three.

Visiting Newcastle United thumped West Ham 5-1 in this corresponding fixture last season and will be looking for a repeat following a jaw-dropping 4-1 home win over Paris Saint-Germain in midweek Champions League action. After an underwhelming three-game losing run in the Premier League between mid-August and early September, Eddie Howe’s men have hit the ground running, racking up six consecutive matches without losing across all competitions (W5, D1). Newcastle’s recent defensive resilience has been off the charts, with the ‘Magpies’ going five straight games without conceding before letting PSG score a consolation goal in the abovementioned midweek mauling. But there’s no room for complacency, even though they humbled Sheffield United 8-0 on their last Premier League travel, considering it was their first competitive win on the road since April.