Newcastle United vs West Ham United preview: Magpies look to forge a win over the Hammers

Newcastle United return to St James' Park on Sunday, fresh after a 4-1 away victory over Bournemouth in midweek.

Since then, head coach Steve Bruce was nominated for June's Premier League manager of the month award.

To add to that, the Magpies' star player Allan Saint-Maximin was nominated for the Premier League's player of the month accolade.

The feel-good factor at Newcastle seems to have returned after a long hiatus, and a victory on Sunday would ensure that it continues to rear its head.

West Ham United come to the North East rejuvenated, after recording a shock 3-2 win over fellow Londoners, Chelsea.

The victory for the Hammers lifted them three points clear of 18th placed Aston Villa.

If they can win against the Toon on Sunday, David Moyes' side will just be able to breathe a little in this tense relegation dogfight.

Form

Newcastle's victory over Bournemouth on Wednesday means they have remained unbeaten since the Premier League restarted last month.

Their solid form, which has included a win over Sheffield United and a draw with Aston Villa, has cemented the Magpies in 12th place in the Premier League table, with safety all but secured for next season.

West Ham poked their heads out of the drop zone with their win during the week, but still find themselves fully invested in a relegation scrap.

Since the restart, the other two games the Hammers have played both ended in defeat.

David Moyes' men lost 2-0 to both Wolverhampton Wanderers and fellow London rivals Tottenham Hotspur prior to their win on Wednesday night.

Previous meeting

In the reverse fixture in November, Newcastle got the better of West Ham, recording a 3-2 victory at the London Stadium.

The Magpies found themselves 3-0 up after 51 minutes, with goals coming from Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez and Jonjo Shelvey.

West Ham scored two late goals, scored by Fabian Balbuena and Robert Snodgrass, but it was a case of too little, too late as Newcastle took home all three points.

Team news - Newcastle United

Javier Manquillo could return to the squad against West Ham after suffering from a strain.

Defenders Florian Lejeune and Ciaran Clark remain ruled out with injuries picked up prior to the restart.

Sean Longstaff is set to miss Sunday's game with a thigh injury.

Joelinton is a doubt with a calf injury.

Club captain Jamaal Lascelles is a doubt with an ankle injury.

Team news - West Ham United

Robert Snodgrass is ruled out for the Hammers with a lower back injury.

Record-signing Sebastien Haller, captain Mark Noble, and full-back Arthur Masuaku are all set to be in contention on Sunday after recovering from their respective injuries.

Felipe Anderson is a doubt with an injury picked up during the week.

Key players

Newcastle's Allan Saint-Maximin has continued to impress since the Premier League restart and recorded three assists last time out against Bournemouth.

He terrorised former Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta in the previous meeting, and there is no doubt that the Frenchman will want to do it all again, this time to West Ham's Ryan Fredericks.

If West Ham is to survive in the Premier League this season, it is safe to say that will be mostly down to the performances produced by Declan Rice.

The 21-year-old has put himself on the radar of Manchester United in particular with his ball-winning excellence and solid range of passing being his main attributes.

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