Key events
GOAL! Newcastle 1-0 West Ham (Isak 6pen)
Newcastle lead! Alexander Isak scores from the spot, his shot going in off the foot of the left upright after Alphonse Areola had gone the wrong way.
4 min: David Coote is today’s VAR and after a lengthy delay soundtracked by jeers from the stands, the onfield decision is confirmed. Penalty for Newcastle!
Penalty for Newcastle!
3 min: Newcastle win a penalty for an incredibly clumsy challenge by Vladimir Coufal on Anthony Gordon on the left side of the West Ham penalty area. There’s a VAR check for a possible offside in the build-up.
2 min: West Ham goalkeeper Aphonse Areola hoofs the ball upfield under pressure from the Newcastle press and the hosts win possession.
Newcastle v West Ham is go …
1 min: Alexander Isak gets the ball rolling for Newcastle, who don’t waste much time getting it forward up the right flank. Kurt Zouma shepherds the ball out of play for a West Ham goal-kick.
Not long now: Led by referee Rob Jones and his team of match officials, both sets of players march out on to the St James’ Park pitch. Even at lunchtime on an Easter Saturday, it’s one of the Premier League’s more febrile atmospheres. Kick-off is just a few minutes away.
Eddie Howe: “We’re looking forward to the last 10 games,” says the Newcastle manager. “We know it’s a big part of our season and there’s still a lot to play for. We are confident in ourselves but we need to win to get to where we want to be.”
David Moyes: “Every game now is important, We have nine to play and every game is going to be vitally important to pick up as many points as we can,” the West Ham manager tells TNT Sports. “There’s a few teams chasing to be in and around the European spots and we’re one of them.”
Summary
Today’s match officials
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Referee: Rob Jones.
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Assistants: Ian Hussin and Wade Smith.
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Fourth official: Darren Bond.
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VAR: David Coote.
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Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart.
Those teams: Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier hasn’t made it back from injury and is not in the matchday squad, so Tino Livramento starts. Jamaal Lascelles starts in place of Sven Botman. Harvey Barnes returns from a two-match absence and is on the home side’s bench.
Bruno Guimaraes starts for Newcastle but continues to walk the disciplinary tightrope – the Brazilian midfielder is one yellow card away from a two-match ban. He has four more matches to go before the threshold for the ban rises to 15 yellow cards.
With Edson Alvarez suspended, his place is taken by James Ward-Prowse, which means Kalvin Phillips has to settle for a place among the West Ham substitutes. Maxwel Cornet will be alongside him, having returned from six matches out.
Newcastle v West Ham line-ups
Newcastle: Dubravka, Livramento, Lascelles, Schar, Burn, Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Jacob Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
Subs: Dummett, Ritchie, Barnes, Krafth, Karius, Hall, Almiron, Anderson, White.
West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson Palmieri, Ward-Prowse, Soucek, Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Kudus, Antonio.
Subs: Fabianski, Johnson, Cresswell, Phillips, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna, Earthy, Mubama.
Early team news
West Ham will be without Edson Alvarez for today’s game as their Mexican midfielder is obliged to sit two matches out on the Naughty Step after picking up his 10th yellow card of the season. Mohammed Kudus is reported to have made a full recovery from a knee injury, while West Ham’s medical staff are monitoring the fitness of Lucas Paqueta and Vladimir Coufal.
Newcastle have lost central defender Sven Botman for approximately nine months to a torn ACL, the Dutchman having exacerbated a pre-existing injury he picked up earlier this season by playing on against advice from the club doctors.
Midfielder Lewis Miley has also been added to Newcastle’s list of the lame and halt after suffering a back injury while on England U-20 duty and is expected to be out for six weeks. Callum Wilson, Nick Pope and Joelinton also remain sidelined. In better news for Mags fans, Harvey Barnes, Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento could all return today.
It emerged this week that Sandro Tonali, who is currently serving a 10-month worldwide suspension imposed by the Italian Football Federation for a breach of betting regulations, is now facing new Football Association charges that could see his ban extended.
Eddie Howe has asked the FA not to throw the book at his midfielder, pointing out that Tonali has a gambling problem which he is addressing and has already been sufficiently punished. While it’s obviously in Howe’s best interests to get the Italian back as soon as possible, it’s difficult to disagree with him on this one.
Premier League: Newcastle v West Ham
After a two-week hiatus, the Premier League is back and it resumes with an intriguing clash between Newcastle and West Ham at St James’ Park.
In tenth place with just 10 games to go, Newcastle can still qualify for the Europa Conference League and will move to within one point of seventh placed West Ham with a win today. Victory for West Ham would see them leapfrog Manchester United into sixth place, having played two games more.
In the corresponding fixture at the London Stadium in October, the sides played out a 2-2 draw, with West Ham rescuing a point courtesy of terrific late strike from Mohammed Kudus. Kick-off in Newcastle is at 12.30pm (GMT) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
