BOTH Newcastle United and West Ham United will be looking to return to winning ways when the pair square off in the Premier League at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.
After securing a much-coveted top four spot last season, the tenth-placed Toon have struggled to hit those same heights this term.
Last time out in the Premier League, Eddie Howe's side crashed to a 3-2 defeat away at Chelsea and they have since exited the FA Cup courtesy of a 2-0 loss away at Man City.
Seeking to arrest their slump in form, Newcastle will be targeting what would be a morale-boosting victory when West Ham come to town this weekend.
David Moyes' men have avoided defeat in each of their last four Premier League games, though they have drawn their last two, the most recent of which was a 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.
Nonetheless, the Hammers are still sitting pretty in seventh spot and a St James' Park success on Saturday would strengthen their push to finish in one of the European places.
Outright Betting
Despite winning just one of their last five Premier League home games, Newcastle are odds-on 5/6 favourites with William Hill.
The reverse fixture ended all square and another stalemate on Saturday can be backed at 16/5 (Bet 365) while a West Ham victory is as big as 14/5 (Bet 365).
Betting Angles
Newcastle are far too skinny for my liking on Saturday so I’ll instead opt for a Bet Builder and bundle up both Bruno Guimarães and Tomáš Souček to commit a foul at 5/6 (Bet 365).
Newcastle's all-action Brazilian is a fierce midfield competitor and that is evidenced by the fact that he has clocked up nine yellow cards across his 27 Premier League appearances this season so far.
That has coincided with Guimarães averaging 1.3 fouls per-game in the top-flight this term and I suspect that trend will continue here given the pace and flair that West Ham carry in forward areas.
With Edson Álvarez suspended for the visitors, Tomáš Souček is likely to drop back and be operating in the same part of the midfield battleground as the aforementioned Bruno Guimarães.
The marauding Czech midfielder averages just over one foul per 90 in the Premier League this season, racking up a combined total of four misdemeanours across his last two outings.
Therefore, with all things considered, and team news permitting, the above-mentioned Bet Builder should give us a good run for our money at 5/6 on Bet 365.
Another player-based selection that looks worthy of interest is Newcastle’s Alexander Isak to Score or Assist at 10/11 with PaddyPower.
The Swedish sharpshooter has struck in each of his last two Premier League outings and he merits consideration to have goal involvement on Saturday against a West Ham side without a domestic clean sheet in their last 11 outings.
This English Premier League match between Newcastle United and West Ham United will be played on Mar 30, 2024 and kick off at 12:30. Check below for our tipsters best Newcastle United vs West Ham United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
