- West Ham travel to Newcastle United this weekend
- The Hammers have to win to ensure they make it to the final weekend still alive
- Adama Traore will miss the game
West Ham United travel to Newcastle United this weekend, knowing only a win will keep their Premier League survival hopes alive. The Hammers sit two points from safety with two matches left.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men fought valiantly against Arsenal last week and will have to do the same again this weekend if they want to pick up the points at St James Park.
West Ham know they can win games like this, but it is about turning performances into wins at this stage. Only three points will ensure the Irons cannot be relegated before the final day, otherwise it will be a long-week for those in the stands.
Nuno’s thoughts
On team news: “We have Adama [Traore] out for the game but the rest of the squad is good. He has a muscle injury – he is recovering but he was not available for Arsenal and he’ll miss this one.”
On West Ham’s penultimate game: “Every game is a new game. I believe you keep your approach and the values are the same from the first round to the last round. Everything is going to be decided by the two rounds. If I give a rousing speech in the first round, I will give it in the last round as well. It will be the same.”
On the mental side of the survival fight: “We knew some while ago that it [the relegation battle] will be decided now [in the last games]. Our job is to focus and prepare our players and get them ready for Sunday. That is our priority. We are ready, we are positive and we believe.
“Every game is a must win and nothing has changed. The importance of the points is the same. I hope the players stay focused, do their task and ignore the outside noise. What I try to give our player is confidence.”
On last week’s VAR and the complaint lodged post-game: “We tried to find some answers with things we are concerned about. I suppose we [Premier League clubs] all compare similar situations and this is why we need consistency. I don’t have time to think about the changes and finding solutions is not my problem. The referees must understand the needs of solving this doubt. I believe the Premier League and the referees will solve it.
“The job of the referees is really hard and difficult. VAR was supposed to help the referees. Is it helping? Is it creating more questions? I believe they can do better.”
