Premier League Matchday 28: West Ham vs. Newcastle

Start Time: 2:00 p.m. CST on April 5, 2023

Location: London Stadium, England

FanDuel Betting Odds: West Ham +260; Draw +220; Newcastle +120

West Ham (15th in the Premier League); Manager: David Moyes

Recent Results: 1-0 win vs. Southampton (Premier League); 4-0 win vs. AEK Larnaca (Europa Conference League); 1-1 draw vs. Aston Villa (Premier League).

Newcastle United (3rd in the Premier League); Manager: Eddie Howe

Recent Results: 2-0 win vs. Manchester United (Premier League); 1-0 win vs. Nottingham Forest (Premier League); 2-1 win vs. Wolves (Premier League).

FotMob Lineups:

Today, West Ham welcomes a surging Newcastle side to the London Stadium for some midweek Premier League action. The Hammers come into this matchup sitting 15th in the top flight, level on points with 18th-place Bournemouth.

This past weekend, West Ham picked up a much-needed victory in the Premier League against bottom-of-the-table Southampton. Much like the Hammers' other victories this season, it wasn't a pretty win, but I could care less at this point in the year. Aguerd, Paqueta, and Rice stood out for West Ham, and Fabianski made a strong return from injury.

Wednesday's opponents have had a late-season run pundits did not expect. Newcastle United are winners of their last three Premier League matches, as Eddie Howe's energetic side is not backing down with roughly 10 matches to go. In past years, we've seen sides like Leicester and even West Ham falter at the end of the season due to a lack of squad depth, but it's not happening with Newcastle.

This past weekend, Newcastle shutout Manchester United 2-0 at St. James' Park. Yes, the Red Devils were missing Casemiro, but nothing should be taken from the Toon's solid performance. Joe Willock and Callum Wilson found the scoresheet, and their defense kept another clean sheet.

West Ham and Newcastle met back in February, where the Hammers came away with a point from the fixture. Wilson gave the Toon the lead in the third minute, but a goal from Paqueta 30 minutes later tied the match up. Though there were positives to take away from that match, Newcastle were missing one of their most important players: Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimaraes. The 25-year-old has been vital to the success of Newcastle since arriving in England, and I'll be interested to see how he lines up against our new midfield three.

Speaking of that three, Tomas Soucek will start once again for the Hammers tonight. He put in a terrible performance on Sunday, and I would have loved to see Moyes start either Lanzini or Downes today. With how active Guimaraes, Longstaff, and Joelinton are for Newcastle, I'm nervous to see how well the Czech international holds up during the match.

Newcastle boasts one of the top defenses in the league, and they'll have record-signing Alexander Isak, and January-signing Anthony Gordon ready on the bench. However, I think the Hammers play up to their competition, and will come away from the London Stadium with a point.

Premier League Matchday 28 Prediction: West Ham 1 Newcastle 1

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