Newcastle United played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend, despite going down to 10 men in the latter stages of the game. Midfield star Sean Longstaff was issued a direct red card for a disgusting challenge in their match against Wolves. Some Newcastle United fans would’ve certainly been happy with the draw from the game, considering that Wolves were in the ascendancy for the majority of the second half.
The Magpies have had an extremely mixed month in terms of results, having picked up a win against Manchester United. After that morale-boosting outing though, they couldn’t keep the form going and stuttered against Chelsea at the Bridge. West Ham United are Steve Bruce’s next challenge, and he’ll be looking to get all three points for a change when they travel to the London Stadium.
Team News
Sean Longstaff’s 3-match suspension means that he will play no part in proceedings right until the final day of November when champions Manchester City come to town. His absence is sure to come as a massive blow to Steve Bruce, who already has a couple of important injury concerns to deal with heading into this clash.
Florian Lejeune and Fabian Schar have been spending time on the Newcastle treatment table. However, the latter could return to first-team action this weekend, having reported back for training at the start of the week. Matt Ritchie is another player who’s been working his way back from an ankle problem. Even though he’s close to a return, he’s not expected to start this game.
Formation: 5-4-1
Defence
Fabian Schar’s potential return to the starting lineup will add a bit of solidity to the Newcastle backline. He is expected to partner up with skipper Jamaal Lascelles and Ciaran Clark at the heart of the defence, meaning that the Argentine Federico Fernandez could drop back to the bench. The trio has been a feature of Steve Bruce’s defensive setup so far this season, and offer an excellent balance of attributes between them. Dubravka is expected to keep his place between the sticks for the Magpies as well.
On the right flank, DeAndre Yedlin’s powerful forward running and enthusiastic pressing have impressed since the start of the campaign. The American international had a good game against Manchester United a few weeks ago, and he will be looking to emulate that form against the Hammers. Across the pitch from him, expect Jetro Willems to keep his place down the left flank.
Midfield
The suspension to Sean Longstaff means that brother Matty’s place in the side is set in stone now. The youngster has been in good form in recent weeks, having burst onto the scene with a thunderous goal against Manchester United. Alongside him, expect to see English midfielder Issac Hayden returning to anchor the midfield, having only just served out a three-match suspension of his own.
Although Miguel Almiron hasn’t opened his account for Newcastle United since moving from the MLS, the youngster has certainly highlighted his sheer quality on multiple occasions. An excellent runner with the ball, Almiron’s mazy runs can cause even the best of defenders a little bit of a headache. Similarly, Allan Saint-Maximin has also been exceptional down the left flank, since joining the Magpies in the summer.
Attack
Joelinton’s form has undoubtedly dipped in recent weeks, having failed to score in the Magpies’ last seven outings. Although he got the all-important goal in the win against Tottenham Hotspur in the middle of August, the striker is yet to hit the massive heights that were expected of him. Despite this, his place in the side shouldn’t come under question, especially considering that their other attacking options are Andy Carroll and Yoshinori Muto.
