Newcastle United will host West Ham United in their Premier League clash at St James’ Park this afternoon, and Eddie Howe could be set to make changes.
The Magpies will return to action in the early Premier League kick-off this afternoon and there is a fantastic opportunity for Howe and his squad to close the gap with West Ham in the race for a European qualification spot.
Newcastle are currently four points adrift of the Hammers, who currently occupy the sixth spot in the Premier League table, a position that the Geordies will be eyeing up to steal over their remaining ten league fixtures.
In terms of injuries, Howe has had some of the worst luck in the entire Premier League as his entire squad has been ravaged with issues and many long-term fitness problems, as well as of course a midfielder on a ten-month ban for gambling.
Sandro Tonali, Sven Botman, Lewis Miley, Nick Pope, Callum Wilson, and Joelinton are all ruled out of the clash with David Moyes’ men this afternoon and for the foreseeable.
However, they could have a triple fitness boost as Harvey Barnes, Kieran Trippier, and Valentino Livramento have been subjected to a late fitness test and could make an appearance in the matchday squad today.
How could Newcastle line up vs West Ham?
We predict that Howe will make two changes to the starting eleven that saw defeat against Manchester City ahead of the international, maintaining the classic 4-3-3 formation.
In goal we expect to see Martin Dubravka retain his role, while Tino Livramento becomes the first change we expect to see in the squad alongside an otherwise unchanged back line of Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles, and Dan Burn.
In the centre of the pitch, we expect to see no changes, with Brazilian star Bruno Guimaraes, Sean Longstaff, and Joe Willock completing the midfield trio.
The second and final change we predict to see is Miguel Almiron replacing Jacob Murphy on the right wing, whilst Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon remain the trusted attacking threat on Tyneside this afternoon.
With that being said, the home advantage should give Newcastle a strong boost and put them in a great position to snatch all three points from their visitors, however, their inconsistent form over the past few months could be exploited if they are not careful, so Howe has a challenge on his hands.
