West Ham (H) Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-ups & score prediction

Olly Hawkins

Both David Moyes and Jonjo Shelvey have suggested in the build up to this match that there’s very little between the two squads – yet the two sides sit in complete opposite ends of the table coming into this one.

If West Ham win they’ll move up to 3rd and give their Champions League hopes another huge boost, while a defeat for us could see us pulled right back into the relegation fight.

On the plus side, we beat them on the opening days of the season, could welcome back Wilson and Saint-Maximin AND face a Hammers side set to be missing several key players, but there’s no doubting this will be a tough game against a West Ham side flying high.

In many respects, their season is reminiscent of our rise up to 5th under Alan Pardew in 2011/12. Everything has just clicked, they have a host of talented players in their prime and a January signing in Jesse Lingard who is having a Papiss Cisse style effect on their form, with the Man Utd loanee scoring EIGHT goals in nine Premier League appearances so far.

As for us, we arrive with real momentum after an impressive display and handy point against Spurs was followed by a huge win at Burnley.

In that time we’ve seen Fulham lose twice, meaning we could move NINE clear of our biggest relegation rivals with a win in Saturday’s early kick off at St James’ Park.

Team news

  • Wilson & Saint-Maximin – Both in contention to start after coming on at Burnley and training all week. Bruce admits he has a ‘decision to make’.
  • Ryan Fraser – Set to miss out again with a groin injury that’s yet to improve.
  • Jamaal Lascelles – Could miss the rest of the season after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.
  • Fabian Schar – Returned to light training this week and is doing ‘very, very well’ says Bruce, however this game will come too soon.
  • Isaac Hayden – Ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

For the visitors, Michail Antonio and Declan Rice have been ruled out, with defender Aaron Cresswell also a ‘doubt’ with a hamstring issue. Angelo Ogbonna has returned to training, but Moyes failed to state whether the centre-back would be fit enough to play his first game since February at St James’ Park.

Predicted lineup

(5-3-2): Dubravka – Murphy, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Ritchie – S Longstaff, Shelvey (c), Almiron – Saint-Maximin, Wilson.

Saint-Maximin IN, Gayle OUT? – This one feels like a no-brainer now ASM has had two late cameos and been a game changer in both. Gayle’s movement and energy was effective against Spurs, but he was on the fringe of the things at Turf Moor and missed a big chance.

Wilson IN, Joelinton OUT? – I wouldn’t be surprised if Bruce goes with the Brazilian (who was very good in our last home game) and plays it safe with Wilson, however this feels like a huge chance to move NINE points clear of Fulham – and our top scorer could be the difference. He’s trained for two weeks straight now and will only get match fit through starts, so I’m backing Bruce to start him against a side he LOVES to score against.

Joe Willock will be eyeing a recall, but with Shelvey a big favourite of Bruce’s – I still have no idea how he’s our vice captain – and Sean Longstaff coming in from the cold and playing well in our last two, I struggle to see how the Arsenal loanee starts unless Almiron is dropped.

Match prediction

One thing we mustn’t do here is play with our foot off the gas and rest on our laurels after last week’s big win at Burnley – especially when the opposition will be full of motivation in their push towards a surprise top four finish.

Antonio, Rice and Cresswell’s likely absence combined with the return of Wilson and ASM give me real hope, but their impressive win over Leicester last Sunday proved they’re no one-trick pony.

How we’ll play is anyone’s guess – we were brilliant against Spurs then awful at Burnley until changes were made – however I think we’ll have to replicate our most recent display at St James’ Park to get a result.

I fancy a high-scoring draw and point that could be precious if Fulham fail to beat Arsenal on Sunday.

Prediction: Newcastle 2-2 West Ham

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About Olly Hawkins

As a Junior Magpie since birth and season ticket holder, I eat, sleep and breathe all things NUFC! Here at the blog, I aim to bring you news, views, match reports and transfer exclusives as and when I get them.

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96 thoughts on “West Ham (H) Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-ups & score prediction”

  1. FFS: the Harrisons think Bruce will drop Miggy for Willock. Do they have a clue? Have they been watching or listening?

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  2. Bruce has telegraphed the team.

    The only way it is NOT Olly’s lineup is that if somehow the Donkey really DOES have a clause in his contract that says he MUST play a certain number of games.

    I know I am using a lot caps for emphasis 🙂

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  3. The only way that Willock plays ahead of Miggy is if Arsenal have a loan stipulation that Willock must play a certain number of games.

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  5. The only question in the team is Wilson. I cannot read Steve Bruce’s mind because it is half cabbage and half blancmange. But if I could, I would say he is 50/50 Wilson even though this is Bagpuss’s big chance to avoid relegation. Donkey might be on Mrs. Doubtfire’s mind, I really hope not.

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  6. He is looking a bit like blancmange now though. His face is getting pink and wobbly.

    So, is that the end of the desriptive terms for Bruce?

    Blancmange
    Mrs Doubtfire
    Cabbage Heed
    Bagpuss

    ?

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  7. I always like a term for a rather rotund man that you dont like as “Fat Boy Fat”.

    So there’s another.

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  8. I am delighted to say that I will play a delightful St Maximin in a pleasing role, pleasingly in the team. He will be dilightfully pleasing in this new delightful role until I throw him under a delightful bus if he we lose.

    Yours delightfully,

    Steve Bruce

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  14. So we are playing without an out and out striker. St Max didnt work out when he was played as a 10 and Joelinton is not a 9. Why not Gayle if Wilson is not fully fit? Dwight did actually get into the box last game and was a bit unlucky.

    Is it “split strilers”?

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  16. just can’t see anything today, West Ham want CL footie and we are standing in their way of more points.
    Nope, diddly squat today sadly, especially if we play like we started last week and in many others this season.

    HWTL and hope for the best.

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  17. Eric Sykes:
    So we are playing without an out and out striker. St Max didnt work out when he was played as a 10 and Joelinton is not a 9. Why not Gayle if Wilson is not fully fit? Dwight did actually get into the box last game and was a bit unlucky.

    Is it “split strilers”?

    ***** what ever it is, as per with Bruce

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  18. I am sticking with my 2-1 prediction – JUST. You have to have a death wish to play 2 players who have 1 good game in 10 – Joe and Shelvey. I thought Donkey had his worst game in a B&W shirt against Burnley and that is saying something. Jonjo was OK.

    At least we can make a change if Donkey plays to his usual standard.

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  19. I think Lingaard and Bowen will hurt us today. 1-3 loss today I think and back down to reality. But as always, happy and hoping to be wrong…

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  20. Kimtoon: Bruce thinks we played well 2nd half last week. Burnley should have had at least 1 goal during that barage of corners in the 1st 15 mins of the second half. And apart from St Max we didnt improve that much. Wilson ran around and kept their attention but was isolated for the most part.

    I dont know what game Steve and his pundit pals watch sometimes. Apparently not the same one as me.

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  23. Does any team anywhere in the world pass backwards as much as we do? I don’t think so…

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  26. Eric, we can thank Dubs for last weeks win imo, yes ASM was brilliant when he came on but we could easily of conceded 2 at least prior to him arriving.

    Cynical tackle from Dawson there on ASM

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  27. Such a Shelvey thing to do that, idiot, no need , no threat and now he can’t afford to tackle for rest of the game. 🙄

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  31. We are set up to get a nil nil and hopefully nick a goal with a piece of individual skill.

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  35. lol
    GETINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
    and down to 10 men

    what a mess for wet spam

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  37. Bloody hell, Bruce has his luck back (as it stands). We should have got beat last week.

    I’ll take it though as I dont want to be relegated.

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  46. ***, I didn’t see that coming after the first 10 mins… talk about suicide… as Kim says though, we must go for the throat now and finish them off. We also need to improve our goal difference cf Fulham.

    We must not sit back now as wet spam will still be dangerous even with 10 men…

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  47. Not counting chickens but I told you WHam were in a false position. Lingard was on fire and he is not a 9 goals in 8 games player. They will finish 6th.

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  48. Decent first half from the boys that. They nullified WHs danger players and got the ball to ours.
    2 mistakes by WH but the first was forced and the 2nd Joe was in the right place & first to react.

    Really good first half against a dangerous side. Stick at it in the 2nd coz Moyes will rattle them at half time.

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  49. Just realised there are 2 ex-mackem managers playing each other. Maybe Moyes wants to twist the knife one last time into the red and white scum.

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  50. We better turn up for the second half, no sitting on the lead inviting pressure, up and at em.

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  54. Commentator just said that Murphy wanted a “slide rule pass”. I am 58 and we never even used them when I went to school. I dont even know what they look like.

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  55. Looks like instead of going for the throat, we will see a masterclass in negativity… ??

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  56. Commentator over here just prattled on for 5 minutes about West Ham in 1986. I have no idea what that has to do with anything.

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  57. He’s still going on about Tony Cottee. That’s about 7 mins and it was 35 fcn years ago!!!

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  60. Come on man!!. Who’s got the extra man here???. Bloody dangerous game we are playing here like!!.

    We score and it kills them off I reckon, but they score and they will really go for it & we will crumble ????

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  63. Max got more injured the closer he got to coming off there ?

    He was like a dog or a child who knew they were about to get told off ??

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  68. ***** off just **** off
    Knew it, watch them go on and win this now.
    Sick of us not killing teams off

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  75. We deserve this!!. I’m foaming that yet again we have sat back and invited a team onto us – fucking disgraceful!!.

    First thing Bruce did when they scored the first was look at his watch – how long to blag this win!!.

    I hate that we have such a coward as a manager!!. We don’t deserve to win this.

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