West Ham vs Newcastle
Premier League 2018-19
Venue: London Stadium
Date: Saturday, 2 March, 2019
Kick-off: 5:30pm GMT
Following their narrow midweek defeat at Manchester City, West Ham make a swift return to Premier League action on Saturday evening as they host resurgent Newcastle in front of the television cameras.
The Hammers succeeded in frustrating the reigning champions for lengthy periods at the Etihad Stadium and were aggrieved to lose only as the result of a contentious Sergio Aguero penalty.
That result ended a three-match unbeaten run for West Ham, who currently sit 10th - behind Everton on goal difference and one point ahead of Leicester.
Manuel Pellegrini's side could face another tough test against a Newcastle team that have risen to 13th and created a six-point buffer to the relegation zone after back-to-back 2-0 wins over Huddersfield and Burnley.
The Magpies, who memorably toppled City last month, have only conceded twice in their last five matches and found a real spark in record signing Miguel Almiron.
West Ham team news
Marko Arnautovic should return for West Ham after being sidelined against City with a fever, while Fabian Balbuena could feature in the matchday squad following a knee injury.
Winston Reid (knee) is also working with the squad, but it remains to be seen if Aaron Cresswell will be in a position to play after suffering a broken toe.
19-year-old Ben Johnson made his senior debut in the absence of Cresswell on Wednesday, yet had to be substituted in the second half due to a calf problem.
Arthur Masuaku remains out, as do long-term absentees Carlos Sanchez and Andriy Yarmolenko. Reports suggest that Jack Wilshere could miss the rest of the season with a lingering ankle issue.
Newcastle team news
Newcastle's only current absentees are goalkeeper Rob Elliot (back) and centre-back Ciaran Clark (unspecified knock).
Score prediction: West Ham 2-1 Newcastle
Despite his frustrations with the penalty, Manuel Pellegrini will have been pleased with his side's resilient performance against former employers City and it would appear that West Ham have stabilised somewhat following a concerning run of January losses.
They beat Newcastle comfortably in the reverse fixture, but now face a team that have begun to build some good momentum and possess a real livewire in £20million man Almiron.
West Ham vs Newcastle tickets
For ticket information click here to head to the West Ham website.
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Subject to change
Match odds
- West Ham to win: 23/20
- Draw: 12/5
- Newcastle to win: 11/4
First goalscorer odds
- Marko Arnautovic: 4/1
- Javier Hernandez: 9/2
- Salomon Rondon: 9/2
- Andy Carroll: 5/1
- Lucas Perez: 6/1
- Felipe Anderson: 6/1
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
TV channel and live stream, and online coverage
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports' Premier League and Main Event channels, and is available via Now TV with a day pass on offer for £7.99. Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via SkyGo and the SkyGo app.
But you can follow all the action with Standard Sport's LIVE blog.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
These two teams have met on 41 occasions in the Premier League era, with Newcastle claiming 19 victories to West Ham's 12. There have been 10 draws.
Newcastle scored three goals in successive victories over West Ham last season, but it was the latter who struck three times in December as a brace from Javier Hernandez and an injury-time Felipe Anderson effort secured a comfortable win at St James' Park.
