Antonio

Team News: Antonio returns against Newcastle

Michail Antonio is West Ham United’s only change for Newcastle United’s visit to London Stadium as the Hammers seek consecutive Premier League wins on Wednesday evening.

The Club’s all-time Premier League top-scorer, with 59 goals, returns to lead the line from the start for the first time since netting a brace in the first leg of a 6-0 aggregate win over AEK Larnaca, with the rest of the starting XI retained from the 1-0 victory against Southampton on Sunday.

The No9, who has five goal contributions in the Premier League this season, seeks to net for the third time across his career against the Magpies, as Danny Ings drops to the bench. 

Antonio scored in the Hammers last win over Newcastle - a 4-2 win on the opening day of the 2021/22 season at St James' Park. 

We have got a competition for places and I am hoping that the competition will add something for the players who start on the team.
David Moyes

Having kept a clean sheet on his return to action, his 87th in the top-flight, Łukasz Fabiański is retained between the sticks, with Alphonse Areola the Hammers’ goalkeeping option on the bench.

In front of the former Poland stopper, the defence is unchanged with Thilo Kehrer, Kurt Zouma, Nayef Aguerd and Emerson looking to record successive clean sheets.

Emerson will make his 25th appearance for West Ham, with Kehrer the only member of the back four yet to score this season after Aguerd's first Irons goal arrived on Sunday. 

A familiar midfield three of Tomáš Souček, Paquetá and skipper Declan Rice, who made his 230th Hammers appearance against the Saints, will also line-up for the fifth successive league fixture as a trio.

Seeking his first goal against Newcastle United, Jarrod Bowen will lead the support of Antonio alongside Saïd Benrahma. The Algerian winger has seven goal contributions in the Premier League this season.

An experienced substitutes’ bench seats eight internationally-capped players, with goalkeeper Areola; defenders Aaron Cresswell, Vladimír Coufal, Angelo Ogbonna; midfielders Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini, Maxwel Cornet and striker Ings part of David Moyes’ options for the visit of the Magpies.

Flynn Downes, who featured from the bench on Sunday, completes the matchday squad.

 

West Ham United: Fabiański, Kehrer, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Rice ©, Souček, Paquetá, Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma
Subs: Areola (GK), Cresswell, Coufal, Fornals, Lanzini, Downes, Cornet, Ings, Ogbonna

Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier ©, Botman, Schär, Burn, Longstaff, Guimarães, Joelinton, Murphy, Saint-Maximin, Wilson
Subs: Dúbravka (GK), Targett, Ritchie, Lascelles, Manquillo, Willock, Anderson, Gordon, Isak

Referee: Craig Pawson