Prediction: West Ham vs Newcastle

The clash between two surprise packages of the season is likely to produce premium excitement, with West Ham looking to return to winning ways and Newcastle hoping to extend the impressive winning streak at Boleyn Ground. And with just a point separating the two sides in the standings, there will be a lot at stake on Saturday afternoon.

Even with Sam Allardyce successfully keeping West Ham in the Premier League, the club owners were not entirely satisfied with their manager as they wanted the Hammers to adopt a more positive approach. Big Sam’s decision to accept the challenge could prove to be the best thing that has happened to both the manager and the club as the attack-minded Hammers have been a joy to watch this season. The club made a host of very shrewd signings, with the likes of Valencia, Sakho, Song and Kouyate making instant impact, while Big Sam even managed to revive the forgotten man Stewart Downing, who has excelled playing at the tip of diamond of late. West Ham proved their credentials by defeating both Liverpool and Manchester City at their Boleyn Ground to climb to top 6 positions, although they have suffered a dip in form of late. But, even with back to back draws against Stoke City and Aston Villa followed by 2-1 loss to Everton, the Hammers have reason for optimism ahead of the clash with Newcastle and we should trust them to extend the impressive scoring run. Doubts remain over the fitness of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Stewart Downing, but Andy Carroll is fit to face his former club, although Winson Reid is banned.

Newcastle fans were quite vocal about their displeasure with manager Alan Pardew following the dismal start to the new Premier League campaign, but chances are they are back to supporting the boss after the amazing turnaround in fortunes. With so many players arriving in the summer, the Magpies were always going to need time to hit the ground running and it was the narrow win over Leicester City midway through October that marked the start of a new period for the club. Newcastle have since defeated Premier League holders Manchester City 2-0 at Etihad in the Capital One Cup, while winning another four league matches in a row to climb to fifth in the overall standings. Following the weekend’s triumph over QPR, the Magpies sit level on points with fourth-placed Manchester United and no doubt they will be eager to keep the run going for as long as possible. Alan Pardew has a number of selection worries ahead of the West Ham clash, with Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Mehdi Abeid, Cheick Tiote and Rolando Aarons all rated doubtful. Meanwhile, Siem de Jong and Davide Santon are definitely out.

Conclusion

West Ham have been pretty impressive at their Boleyn Ground this term and they will see this game as a perfect opportunity to return to winning ways, especially with several important players back to the side. Meanwhile, Newcastle are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment, but they do face some problems in defence, so I fully expect to see a high-scoring game in London.

Verdict: Over 2.5 goals

Best Odds: 19/20

Bookmaker: bet365