West Ham welcome Newcastle to Upton Park this evening, having humbled Liverpool with a 3-0 victory in their last Premier League match. Newcastle have shown promise without achieving the deserved rewards in their four opening fixtures and will see this match as a real chance to register their first win of the season, but will be relying on Anita to stop Payet.
The battle of the ‘engine room’ is likely to have a huge impact on the outcome of the match tonight, with both West Ham and Newcastle possessing players who are willing to run their socks off for the sake of their teams. In particular, the Hammers will need to be wary of the work rate of Jack Colback, who has covered an impressive 48.5km for the Magpies, whereas Steve McClaren’s men would be wise to watch out for Mark Noble who has covered 45.8km.
In centre backs Winston Reid and Chancel Mbemba, West Ham and Newcastle have two of the best tacklers in the Premier League. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that they’ve won 75% of their challenges respectively and in total have made 59 and 53 defensive contributions apiece (based on blocks, tackles won, interceptions and clearances).
Dimitri Payet has made a good start to life at Upton Park, having impressed with his ability to pick out a pass and fashion chances for his teammates. His dribbling has also dazzled, evident by the fact he’s completed nine dribbles this season which is more than any player in either the West Ham or Newcastle squad. He’s likely to meet his match when up against Vurnon Anita this weekend, who’s protected the Newcastle back four to great effect this term. The Dutchman has won 67% of the tackles he’s attempted this season, and made 10 interceptions.
The battle between Tim Krul and Diafra Sakho is likely to be a crucial one on Monday, as Tim Krul has been in inspirational form this campaign. The Newcastle ‘keeper has made the most saves in the league (24), but is up against Sakho, who although may have only found the net once this term, has shown his appetite for goal by hitting the target with 63% of the shots he’s attempted.
Follow live below…
