Key events
This game last season was crazy.: Newcastle 4-3 West Ham.
Harvey Barnes is back on the bench tonight. The Englishman is a good player but he is not very versatile (he does not play on the right or in the center) and he is fighting to be the first option on the left ahead of Anthony Gordon.
Barnes has also not committed to an international team, having played once for the senior England team (in a friendly) in 2020. The 26-year-old, in the prime of his career, is also eligible to represent Scotland .
The teams!
Newcastle: Papa, Livramento, Schar, Kelly, Hall, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock, Gordon, Isak, Joelinton.
Substitutes: Dubravka, Trippier, Tonali, Wilson, Barnes, Targett, Osula, Jacob Murphy, Almirón.
West Ham: Fabianski, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson Palmieri, Soucek, Bowen, Soler, Lucas Paqueta, Summerville, Antonio.
Substitutes: Areola, Cresswell, Coufal, Mavropanos, Luis Guilherme, Ings, Rodríguez, Irving, Scarles.
Referee: Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire)
Preamble
Which of West Ham's next two games is easier for Julen Lopetgui and his team? In a resurgent Newcastle, which has just won three consecutive victories (against Chelsea, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest)? Or, next Saturday, a visit from the Gunners?
The truth is that neither of them is an enviable task. However, it seems that Lopetegui has these two games to save your job after a summer of expensive hiring and a bad start to the season.
West Ham are just three points above the relegation zone, while Newcastle will jump into the top six with a win tonight. There was some slight concerns about Eddie Howe's position a few weeks ago after a poor run in October, but a return to form (particularly Alexander Isak) and form has meant that rumors of any change have faded in the North East.
St James' Park, under the lights, rarely disappoints and for both teams, there is a little more than usual in this early season fixture.
Kick off: 20:00 GMT.
