Newcastle United will aim to halt their slump and regain momentum ahead of the EFL Cup final when they visit West Ham United in Monday’s Premier League clash. Eddie Howe’s men have suffered back-to-back defeats, including a chaotic FA Cup exit to Brighton, while also grappling with fresh injury and suspension concerns. In contrast, Graham Potter’s West Ham are on the rise, chasing a third consecutive league win for the first time since December 2023. The Hammers followed up a stunning derby victory over Arsenal with a comfortable 2-0 win against Leicester, thanks to Tomas Soucek’s goal and a Jannik Vestergaard own goal. Despite their improved form, West Ham’s finishing remains an issue—they have converted just 9% of their chances this season and found the target with only 30% of their shots.

Newcastle’s defensive frailties have been exposed in recent weeks, conceding at least twice in each of their last five matches across all competitions. They have also lost their last two away league games without scoring, something they last endured in January 2021. A repeat of their 2-0 defeat to West Ham at St James’ Park in November would mark their first league double loss to the Irons since 2018-19. The Magpies’ struggles have been compounded by the loss of Anthony Gordon to suspension following his red card against Brighton, while Lewis Hall, Jamaal Lascelles, and Sven Botman remain long-term absentees. However, Alexander Isak is fit to feature, and Howe remains hopeful that Kieran Trippier will overcome a back issue. Harvey Barnes is set for an extended run in the starting XI, stepping in for the banned Gordon.

West Ham are set to welcome Lucas Paquetá back from injury, though he faces a fight to reclaim his spot after the team’s recent successes. Vladimir Coufal is also nearing a return, but Niclas Füllkrug, Michail Antonio, and Crysencio Summerville remain sidelined. Potter’s selection dilemmas are mostly positive, particularly at left-back, where Oliver Scarles may keep his place over Emerson Palmieri.

Newcastle’s immediate focus may be on their looming cup final, but they will be determined to avoid a third straight defeat. I still believe they can outclass West Ham.

纽卡斯尔联将在周一的英超联赛中做客西汉姆联，以扭转颓势并在联赛杯决赛前重拾势头。埃迪·豪的球队遭遇了背靠背的失败，包括在足总杯上被布莱顿淘汰出局，同时也在努力应对新的伤病和停赛问题。相比之下，格雷厄姆·波特的西汉姆正在崛起，自2023年12月以来首次实现联赛三连胜。铁锤帮在德比战中击败阿森纳后，凭借托马斯·苏塞克的进球和扬尼克·韦斯特加德的乌龙球，以2:0轻松战胜莱斯特城。尽管他们的状态有所改善，但西汉姆联的射门仍然是一个问题——他们本赛季只转化了9%的机会，只有30%的射门命中率。

纽卡斯尔的防守弱点在最近几周暴露无遗，在过去的五场比赛中，他们每一场都至少丢了两个球。他们还输掉了最近两场客场联赛，没有进球，上一次是在2021年1月。去年11月在圣詹姆斯公园球场0 - 2不敌西汉姆联，这将是他们自2018-19赛季以来首次在联赛中双败。在对阵布莱顿的比赛中，安东尼·戈登因红牌被禁赛，而刘易斯·霍尔、贾马尔·拉塞尔斯和斯文·博特曼长期缺阵，这使喜鹊的困境雪上加霜。然而，亚历山大·伊萨克已经适应了比赛，豪仍然希望基兰·特里皮尔能够克服背伤。哈维-巴恩斯将顶替被禁赛的戈登进入首发阵容。

西汉姆将欢迎卢卡斯·帕奎特<e:1>伤愈复出，尽管在球队最近的成功之后，他面临着重新夺回位置的斗争。弗拉基米尔·库法尔也即将回归，但尼古拉斯·法尔<s:1>·伊尔克鲁格、迈克尔·安东尼奥和克里森西奥·萨默维尔仍将缺席。波特的选择困境大多是积极的，特别是在左后卫位置上，奥利弗·斯卡尔斯可能会取代埃默森·帕尔米耶里。

纽卡斯尔目前的重点可能是即将到来的杯赛决赛，但他们将下定决心避免三连败。我仍然相信他们能胜过西汉姆。