West Ham United faced a hard-fought defeat at the hands of the reigning Premier League champions Manchester City by 1-0. However, there were some positives that the Hammers can take away from the match as they get ready to face Newcastle United in their next fixture in the Premier League.
The Magpies, on the other hand, notched up a clinical 2-0 victory against Burnley, a team that was beaten for the first time since the start of the new year. This win comes as a morale booster for the Tyneside club ahead of another crucial match against the east London club.
Team News
West Ham United have been ravaged with injuries throughout the season and have many long term absentees in their ranks. Andriy Yarmolenko, Jack Wilshere, Carlos Sanchez and Winston Reid are still out of action and will not play any part in the next match. Fabian Balbuena is suffering from lack of match fitness and will also not be included in the squad.
Aaron Cresswell and Marko Arnautovic are recovering from their injuries and would be assessed before the match against the Magpies.
Goalkeeper
Lukasz Fabianski had a decent outing against Manchester City but could not keep a clean sheet. However, he would surely look to get one in the next fixture.
Defence
In the absence of Fabian Balbuena, the defensive duo of Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna are expected to keep their place in the starting lineup against Newcastle United. The pair kept their composure against the might of the Manchester City attack and would look to deliver another decent performance against the Magpies.
Pablo Zabaleta would put in a shift from the right-hand side of the backline while Ben Johnson would keep his place in the team as a replacement for the injured Aaron Cresswell.
Midfield
Declan Rice had a good game against Manchester City and would look to replicate his performance when his side takes of Newcastle United. His accomplice would be Pedro Obiang in the heart of the midfield.
Samir Nasri would get the nod to start ahead of Manuel Lanzini in the role of the attacking midfielder.
Attack
Felipe Anderson and Michail Antonio are expected to keep their place in the side as the wide attackers, playing on either side of the striker. With Arnautovic in doubt of starting this match, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez would be the preferred choice to start up front for the Hammers against Rafa Benitez’s side.
Predicted Lineup: 4-2-3-1
