Newcastle United v West Ham United
Premier League, St James’ Park, Saturday 30 March 2024, 12.30pm GMT
Following a two-week hiatus due to the final international break of 2023/24, the Premier League returns this weekend, with West Ham United set for a long trip up to the North-East to take on Newcastle United on Saturday.
The Irons will be looking to stretch their four-game unbeaten run in the league, and build on draws at home to Burnley and Aston Villa in their last two outings with a victory that would boost their hopes of qualifying for a fourth successive season of European football.
Three points against the Magpies would also hamper the hopes of one of their rivals in the hunt to secure continental competition, with Eddie Howe’s men currently three spots behind seventh-placed West Ham, albeit having played one game fewer.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 3,209 tickets have sold out.
The first 90 per cent of tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 24+ Loyalty Points. The remaining ten per cent (320 tickets) were then made available by a ballot process to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture. The ballot closed at 12noon on Tuesday 5 March.
Travel…
With no unreserved car parking on matchdays and traffic restrictions galore, Newcastle United ‘strongly recommend’ that supporters use public transport to reach St James’ Park.
If you do opt to drive to the North East, the Magpies operate Park and Ride from two sites close to the A1 motorway – one at Newcastle Great Park (near Newcastle Racecourse) and the other at the Metrocentre in Gateshead.
It’s probably more relaxing to let the train take the strain, with East Coast Mainline services from London Kings Cross stopping at Newcastle Central, just a signposted ten-minute walk from the stadium. Alternatively, you can take a taxi. Book your train tickets at lner.co.uk.
If you prefer, you can take a coach. National Express will deliver you to Newcastle Coach Station on St James’ Boulevard, while Megabus operates from outside Newcastle Central railway station.
How To Follow…
West Ham United’s away Premier League match with Newcastle United has been selected for broadcast in the United Kingdom by TNT Sports.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on talkSPORT and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Midfielder Edson Álvarez will be missing from David Moyes’ squad through suspension, having picked up his tenth yellow card of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa last time out.
Forward Maxwel Cornet could be available for selection following a hamstring injury he sustained in training, with the 27-year-old last featuring against Nottingham Forest on 17 February.
Newcastle could be missing a number of players for the visit of the Hammers. Sven Botman, Joelinton, Nick Pope and Callum Wilson are all long-term absentees, while there are doubts surrounding the fitness of Harvey Barnes, Kieran Trippier and Tino Livramento.
Opposition…
Eddie Howe has overseen a feast of thrills and spills since his appointment as Newcastle head coach in November 2021, with his team’s recent inconsistency perhaps unjustifiably taking the shine off last season’s heroics.
The former Bournemouth boss took over a side that seemed destined for relegation in 2021/22, sitting in 19th place after eleven games, and completely flipped their trajectory.
After avoiding the drop that campaign, the Magpies roared to an incredible fourth-place finish in the Premier League last term, earning an incredible return to the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2003/04.
Two decades after their last appearance in Europe’s top club competition – albeit one which ended in a third qualifying round defeat by Partizan Belgrade – the St James’ Park club were drawn alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in a mouth-watering Group F.
An unforgettable 4-1 home demolition of PSG ultimately wasn’t enough to avoid an early exit on the continent, but still such nights were ones the Toon Army could only have dreamed about a few short years ago, when their team sat in the EFL Championship under the ownership of businessman Mike Ashley.
Of course, the takeover of the club led by the Saudi-based Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October 2021 has transformed not only Newcastle’s fortunes, but also raised the expectations surrounding an outfit which has not lifted a major trophy since 1969.
And having enjoyed a taste of being back among Europe’s elite, like they had become used to between the mid-1990s and mid-2000s, Howe and Newcastle now find themselves fighting for continental qualification with ten games of 2023/24 to go.
Currently sat tenth in the table, and four points behind West Ham with a game in hand, the North-Easterners recovered from a run of six defeats in seven between December and January by going four games unbeaten, only to lose on two of their last three league outings.
With none of the top four teams to play in their remaining fixtures however, and games against five of the bottom seven to come, there will be hope among the Geordies that they can embark on a strong finish to the season, and keep building towards what promises to be a bright future.
Previous Meetings…
The Hammers and Newcastle have met an incredible 143 times; a run of games that started back in February 1908 when Bill Appleyard's double gave the Magpies a 2-0 victory over the Irons in the FA Cup second round.
Since then, most contests between the two sides have been played out in the top division of English football. Indeed, 51 of the 143 matches played between the two teams have taken place in the Premier League – a run that goes back to 1993 and is interrupted only by a Premier League Asia Trophy pre-season fixture in 2019.
West Ham and Newcastle both appear to go through spells of dominance in this particular fixture, and it is fair to say that Saturday’s hosts have enjoyed the upper hand in more recent outings.
The Magpies have won four of the last nine Premier League matches between the two sides, including a 5-1 defeat for the Irons at London Stadium little under a year ago.
West Ham’s last win over Newcastle came on the opening day of the 2021/22 season when Aaron Cresswell, Saïd Benrahma, Tomáš Souček and Michail Antonio all scored in a 4-2 win at St James’ Park.
Last time out, in October 2023, the teams played out a 2-2 draw in east London, with Souček and Mohammed Kudus striking either side of a second-half Alexander Isak double.
Match Officials…
Referee: Rob Jones
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin and Wade Smith
Fourth Official: Darren Bond
VAR: David Coote
Assistant VAR: Eddie Smart
Rob Jones has been confirmed as the referee for Saturday's game.
A referee in the English Football League since 2016, the 36-year-old Merseysider took charge of his first top-flight clash in December 2019, and was promoted to Professional Game Match Officials Limited’s (PGMOL) Select Group One ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
Jones has been the man in the middle at three finals during his career so far, the last of which being Wycombe Wanderers’ victory over Oxford United in the EFL League One Play-Off final in July 2020, little under a year after he refereed Oxford’s win over West Ham in the third round of the EFL Cup.
In total, Jones has held the whistle at four games involving the Hammers, most recently a 4-0 Premier League thrashing for David Moyes’ men over Norwich City at Carrow Road, in May 2022.
This season, he has undertaken fourth official duties at three West Ham matches, and acted as the Video Assistant Referee in the draws at home to Brighton and away to Sheffield United, both in January.
Most of his appointments this term have come in the Premier League, but Jones has also refereed games in the EFL Cup, FA Cup, EFL Championship, UEFA Europa Conference League and UEFA Europa League, as well as a UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match and a senior friendly on the international scene.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
