Preview: Newcastle United vs. West Ham United - prediction, team news, lineups

West Ham United will travel to Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon knowing that a win would see them move into third position in the Premier League table.

The Hammers are currently fourth in England's top flight, one point behind third-placed Leicester City, while Newcastle occupy 17th position, now six points clear of the relegation zone.

Match preview

© Reuters

Newcastle are far from out of the relegation picture, but it would be fair to say that last weekend's 2-1 success at Burnley was a huge result in the context of their fight to remain at the top level of English football.

For all of the criticism aimed at Steve Bruce's side, they have actually only lost one of their last six in the Premier League and have managed to pick up four points from their last two fixtures at home to Tottenham Hotspur and away to Burnley, which have boosted their chances of staying in the league.

As it stands, the Magpies are 17th in the table, six points clear of 18th-placed Fulham, and they also have a game in hand over the Cottagers, who are now in danger of being cut adrift in their fight for survival.

Newcastle have been boosted by the recent returns of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin from injury, and the latter came off the bench to score a brilliant winner for Bruce's side at Turf Moor last weekend.

The four-time English champions will now be looking to put another important three points on the board this weekend, but they have struggled on home soil this term, picking up just 17 points from 15 matches.

© Reuters

West Ham, meanwhile, will be bidding to make it three Premier League victories in a row this weekend, boosting their chances of claiming a Champions League position in the process.

Since losing 1-0 at Manchester United on March 14, David Moyes's side have picked up seven points from their three matches against Arsenal, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City, holding on to beat Wolves and Leicester 3-2 in their last two fixtures.

As it stands, the London club are fourth in the table, one point behind third-placed Leicester, while they are one point clear of fifth-placed Chelsea; Liverpool in sixth are just three points off the Champions League positions, meanwhile, and it is set to be a fascinating battle for a top-four spot.

West Ham will feel that they are in an excellent position to claim at least a position in next season's Europa League, which would represent a brilliant campaign for the Hammers.

Moyes's team have the second-best home record in this season's Premier League, but they have dropped points in eight of their 15 top-flight fixtures on their travels.

Team News

© Reuters

Newcastle will again be without the services of Ryan Fraser, Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar and Isaac Hayden on Saturday afternoon due to injury.

As mentioned, Saint-Maximin and Wilson both featured off the bench against Burnley, and it would not be a surprise to see the pair come into the starting XI on Saturday afternoon.

Bruce is expected to keep faith with the majority of the side that started at Turf Moor, with Jacob Murphy and Matt Ritchie featuring in the wing-back positions, while it could be a straight swap in the final third with Wilson and Saint-Maximin coming in for Joelinton and Dwight Gayle.

As for West Ham, Angelo Ogbonna, Declan Rice and Michail Antonio will again be unavailable for selection, while the match is expected to come too soon for Darren Randolph and Andriy Yarmolenko.

Manuel Lanzini should shake off a knock to make the bench, while Mark Noble is expected to be available for selection despite suffering a kick to his elbow during the clash with Leicester.

Aaron Cresswell is unlikely to feature due to a thigh problem, though, meaning that Fabian Balbuena could be in line for a start alongside Issa Diop and Craig Dawson in a defensive area.

Jesse Lingard has scored eight goals and registered four assists in nine appearances for the Hammers since arriving on loan, and the England international will again feature in the final third of the field.

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Dubravka; Fernandez, Clark, Dummett; Murphy, Almiron, Shelvey, Longstaff, Ritchie; Saint-Maximin, Wilson

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Fabianski; Diop, Dawson, Balbuena; Coufal, Noble, Soucek, Masuaku; Lingard, Bowen, Fornals

We say: Newcastle United 1-2 West Ham United

Newcastle are still under pressure towards the bottom of the table, but the Magpies are not in any immediate danger of dropping into the relegation zone, which could work in West Ham's favour. The Hammers will again be missing some key players on Saturday, but we fancy them to just have enough to edge out another victory to move into third position in the Premier League table.

Video prediction

Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below: