West Ham United vs Newcastle United isn’t this weekend’s main undercard (obviously, Manchester City at Arsenal is the headliner!), but it’s close. Liverpool FC at Brighton is probably the second best fixture of the weekend, but #WHUNEW is pretty important in its own right.
Both sides are currently sitting slightly higher than mid-table, angling to move up and jockey for UCL qualification position. Let’s preview this one!
West Ham United vs Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: Sun. Oct 8, 2023, at 2pm UK at London Stadium, UK
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
West Ham Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Newcastle 46% Draw 26% West Ham 28%
PL Position, Form Guide: Newcastle 8th, 12 pts, WWWLL West Ham, 7th, 13 pts WLLWW
On paper, this is a very even match-up despite how much higher up Newcastle finished in the table than West Ham last season. It may all just come down to who gets the right breaks at the right time.
Or perhaps it’s all about the tactical battle, the clash of wits between David Moyes and Eddie Howe. And it all starts with who is in the first teams. Let’s try and predict who that might be.
Starting XI Predictions
West Ham
Alphonse Areola; Vladimir Coufal, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd, Emerson Palmieri; Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse; Mohamed Kudus, Lucas Paqueta, Said Benrahma; Jarrod Bowen
Newcastle
Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Jamal Lascelles, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn; Sean Longstaff, Elliott Anderson, Bruno Guimaraes; Jacob Murphy, Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram