Newcastle United v West Ham United
Premier League, St James' Park, Monday 25 November 2024, 8pm GMT
West Ham United travel north to take on Newcastle United for Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, looking for a second away win of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
Julen Lopetegui’s charges go into the contest off the back of successive Premier League fixtures without victory, away at Nottingham Forest and at home to Everton, and now head North-East on their return from a two-week hiatus, hoping to boost their current 14th-place standing.
The Hammers will be hungry for revenge having relinquished a two-goal lead on Tyneside in March last season, which put a major dent in our own European hopes, while Monday’s opponents themselves are in need of points to improve on their current league position of eighth.
Eddie Howe’s side finished seventh last season, narrowly missing out on continental qualification after Manchester United won the FA Cup, and after a relatively slow start to this campaign, they have won their last two top-flight outings, against Arsenal and Forest, and will be hoping to continue their resurgence.
All signs point to an enticing match-up at St James’ Park then, with both teams fully aiming to gain some momentum to kickstart the busy festive period.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 3,204 tickets have sold out.
The first 90 per cent of tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 13+ 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 Wednesday 23 October.
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 Sky 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…
Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez will be missing in the North-East through suspension, having been sent-off in the Hammers’ Premier League defeats at Tottenham Hotspur and Nottingham Forest respectively.
Forward Niclas Füllkrug has missed the last eight Premier League games since he suffered an injury in his calf and Achilles area while on international duty with Germany in September, and will once again be assessed ahead of kick-off.
Newcastle United could be handed a major double boost ahead of the Irons’ trip to Tyneside, with Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier in contention to return from injury at St James’ Park, while Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth are expected to miss Monday’s meeting.
Opposition…
Newcastle United pose a threat to any team in the Premier League on their day, but they are seeking improvement under Eddie Howe this season having finished seventh last term, narrowly missing out on European qualification after Manchester United won the FA Cup.
After the Magpies’ swift rise culminated in UEFA Champions League football at the end of 2022/23, finishing fourth in the Premier League, then subsequently welcoming AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain to St James’ Park in 2023/24, hopes were that they would kick on and become a consistent top-four side.
However, injuries and suspensions significantly scuppered progress last season as nine players missed 20 or more matches, while quarter-final appearances in both domestic cup competitions were creditable achievements in a bid to bring a trophy to the North-East.
Preparations for this Premier League campaign involved the sales of academy graduate Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to alleviate Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) concerns.
Lewis Hall arrived at St James’ Park on a permanent basis after a string of promising performances at the end of last season, while Odysseas Vlachodimos, William Osula, Lloyd Kelly and John Ruddy also arrived on Tyneside.
A somewhat slow start to this campaign means they face an uphill task to break into the top six, even at this early stage, yet the fact that they have won each of their last three games in all competitions, against Chelsea, Arsenal and high-flying Nottingham Forest, demonstrates the quality they possess.
Previous Meetings…
The Hammers and Newcastle have met an incredible 144 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, 52 of the 144 matches 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 Monday’s hosts have enjoyed the upper hand in more recent outings.
The Magpies have won five of the last ten Premier League matches between the two sides, including a 5-1 defeat for the Irons at London Stadium in April 2023.
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 March 2024, the teams played out an entertaining seven-goal thriller on Tyneside, with Newcastle prevailing 4-3 on a difficult afternoon for the Irons.
Match Officials…
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistant Referees: Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: Tony Harrington
VAR: Chris Kavanagh
Assistant VAR: Tim Wood
Craig Pawson has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s return to Premier League action following the international break, away to Newcastle United.
One of the country’s most experienced officials, the 45-year-old has been a part of the Select Group of Referees since 2013 and has held the whistle six times in the Premier League so far this campaign, as well as in UEFA Champions League and Conference League qualifying, the UEFA Nations League and EFL Championship.
He has previously taken charge of the 2017/18 EFL Cup and 2021/22 FA Cup finals, as well as two Community Shield clashes, in 2016 and 2022.
Pawson has refereed 23 fixtures involving the Hammers during his esteemed career, most recently the 3-1 away triumph at Everton in March 2024. He has served as the fourth official in three West Ham games this term, including the 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest at the start of this month.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
