Last Sunday’s FA Cup last-16 clash with Brighton could not have gone much worse for Newcastle.
Not only were the Magpies beaten 2-1 by the Seagulls, they also lost winger Anthony Gordon to suspension following the red card he received for a silly and petulant challenge on Jan Paul van Hecke.
With the news also coming through that defenders Lewis Hall and Sven Botman are facing spells on the sidelines, it has been a bad few days for Newcastle, who now must head to the London Stadium on Monday to take on a rejuvenated West Ham (20:00 kick-off).
West Ham To Win
While Newcastle were being knocked out of the FA Cup, West Ham had the weekend off and they will be feeling fresh ahead of Monday’s game, which falls a whole 10 days after their 2-0 win over Leicester.
That victory over the Foxes is nothing to shout about in isolation, but it did follow a stunning 1-0 win at Arsenal and back-to-back successes are a sign that the Hammers will only improve with time under Graham Potter.
There is every chance that Potter can make it three wins on the bounce, too, with Newcastle missing key men and Eddie Howe surely keeping one eye on next Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Liverpool.
The Hammers have lost just two of their last seven meetings with the Magpies, winning the reverse fixture 2-0, and can secure three points on Monday.
Jarrod Bowen To Score Or Assist
Unsurprisingly, West Ham’s upturn in form has coincided with Jarrod Bowen’s return from injury and he has been key to everything good the Hammers have done this season.
The club’s captain has been directly involved in 11 of his side’s 32 Premier League goals this term, scoring seven times and providing four assists.
He netted the winner at Arsenal and was unlucky to see his strike against Leicester go down as a Jannik Vestergaard own goal, suggesting he is in just the right form to trouble a depleted Magpies defence.
Bowen has scored once and provided three assists in his last four appearances against Newcastle and rates a solid bet to find the net or create a goal for his teammates at the London Stadium.
Matt Targett To Be Booked
With Hall ruled out for the season and Dan Burn having to cover for the injured Sven Botman at centre-back, there is a chance Howe will have to call upon forgotten man Matt Targett on Monday.
The left-back has played just 221 minutes of first-team football this season, so to say he could be rusty is probably an understatement.
West Ham have been playing a 3-5-2 system in recent weeks, with Bowen and Mohammed Kudus leading the line. Both of those forwards are naturally right-wingers, suggesting they could drift over to Targett’s flank and cause him all sorts of issues, along with an in-form and marauding Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Target was booked once in three Premier League games last term and could fall foul of the referee in east London on Monday night.
