David Moyes has made just one change to the team which started the 2-0 home win over Everton a fortnight ago as he seeks his 250th Premier League victory as a manager at Newcastle United.
The Scot replaces the injured Kurt Zouma with Thilo Kehrer in the back-three in the only switch from the valuable victory over the Toffees at London Stadium.
The Hammers arrive at St James’ Park having won and kept clean sheets in three of their previous four matches and having lost just one of the last five in all competitions. Victories have been achieved at Brentford (1-0) and Derby County (2-0) in the Emirates FA Cup, alongside the aforementioned success against Everton and a top-flight draw at Leeds United (2-2).
However, with just one away victory and five points from ten away matches played in the Premier League this season, Moyes’ men will need to produce a top-level performance to defeat a Newcastle side who have not lost on home turf in 15 matches dating back to 30 April last year.
Łukasz Fabiański appears for the 161st time for West Ham, and the 337th time in the Premier League, in goal.
Kehrer joins Angelo Ogbonna and Nayef Aguerd in the back three, with Vladimír Coufal and Emerson Palmieri filling the wing-back positions.
Ahead of them, captain Declan Rice anchors the midfield against the same opposition he scored against in a 2-0 home Premier League win in March 2019.
Alongside him, Brazilian Paquetá is denied an opportunity to take on his good friend and former Olympique Lyonnais teammate Bruno Guimarães due to the latter’s suspension.
Benrahma and Michail Antonio both found the net in the 4-2 win that Moyes’ men achieved at St James’ Park on the opening day of last season, and the duo are both in the starting XI again today.
The third member of the front three, Jarrod Bowen, has scored three goals in his last two appearances against Everton (two) and Derby (one), while Antonio also scored at Pride Park Stadium on Monday evening.
The No9 was also on target in the 2-2 draw at Newcastle soon after the Premier League’s resumption from the COVID lockdown in July 2020. The Hammers’ other goalscorer that day, Tomáš Souček, also scored in the 4-2 win here in August 2021 and is named among the nine substitutes.
Also on the bench is Danny Ings, who has recovered from the minor knee injury he suffered on debut against Everton, and Divin Mubama, who scored twice in the U18s’ 4-1 FA Youth Cup fifth-round win at Stoke City on Friday evening and has netted 14 goals in 14 appearances at all levels since making his first-team debut at FCSB on 3 November.
Goalkeepers Joseph Anang and Krisztián Hegyi are both named among the substitutes, too.
For Newcastle, new signing Anthony Gordon is among the replacements following his transfer from Everton, but there is no place in the 20 for former Hammer Harrison Ashby.
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier ©, Schär, Botman, Burn, S.Longstaff, Willock, Joelinton, Almirón, Saint-Maximin, Wilson
Subs: Dubravka (GK), Lewis, Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Anderson, Fraser, Gordon, Murphy
West Ham United: Fabiański, Coufal, Kehrer, Ogbonna, Aguerd, Emerson, Rice ©, Paquetá, Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio
Subs: Anang (GK), Hegyi (GK), Johnson, Cresswell, Lanzini, Downes, Souček, Fornals, Ings
Referee: Peter Bankes
