- West Ham United play Newcastle on Sunday at 5.30PM BST
- The Magpies have battled with injuries during their barren spring run
- The Hammers are currently in the relegation zone
West Ham United go up north to St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon for a crucial game with the potential to exit the relegation zone and leapfrog Tottenham Hotspur. The Hammers have recently come out of back-to-back London clashes against Brentford and Arsenal, which they lost, leaving them two points behind Spurs, who occupy the final safety position with two matches remaining.
Newcastle United’s season has firmly hit autopilot in the spring, with Eddie Howe’s side only enjoying one win in their last seven matches. Nuno Espirito Santo’s Hammers will attempt to exploit the Magpies’ inconsequential end to the season.
With Spurs not in action this weekend, West Ham knows that a result, ideally a win, will put pressure on their relegation rival, who face Chelsea on Tuesday night. The goal will be easier to achieve now that Newcastle have provided an injury report.
Joelinton and Lewis Hall headline potential Newcastle absentees
Newcastle’s latest away game at The City Ground saw Howe manage a convoluted injury situation at the Magpies. The English coach fielded a rotated squad, far from his strongest XI, with Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga not featuring in the 1-1 draw.
However, it was the status of his starters that Howe was quick to address in his Friday morning press conference. The Newcastle head coach provided an update on Joelinton and Lewis Hall, with the pair playing all 90 minutes against Nottingham Forrest but appearing gingerly in the closing stages.
“Lewis is fine, he’s trained this week. We’ve got no problems with his fitness,” said Howe.
“We’ve got a doubt over Joelinton, who has a slight thigh problem, so we’ll assess him in the next couple of days.”
Elsewhere, Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schär and Lewis Miley are all expected to be sidelined for Sunday’s clash as they continue to manage their respective injuries.
