West Ham United will be keen to extend their recent winning run to three games for the first time this season when they host Newcastle United at London Stadium on Monday.
The Hammers head into this fixture after successive Premier League victories against title hopefuls Arsenal and relegation-threatened Leicester City.
They’ve also kept clean sheets in both games, and manager Graham Potter will demand more of the same as they take on a Newcastle side reeling from a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.
The Magpies have won just one of their last four Premier League games, and West Ham will need to be wary of the threat they pose as they look to get their top-four pursuit back on track.
How West Ham could line up
West Ham were handed a huge boost earlier this week with Potter confirming that talisman Lucas Paqueta is in line to feature against Newcastle.
The Brazilian is facing a lengthy hearing into an alleged breach of the Football Association’s (FA) betting rules, which he has vehemently denied.
The hearing is set to last for three weeks, and the FA is pushing for a lifetime ban if he’s found guilty. Potter insists Paqueta is in the right frame of mind to face Newcastle.
The English manager also confirmed that Vladimir Coufal is on track to be fit for Monday night football after shaking off a hamstring injury.
Potter seems to have found a winning formula, so he’s unlikely to tweak his system against Newcastle.
Despite his return, Paqueta is facing a fight to force his way back into the starting line-up, as does Emerson Palmieri, who has lost his spot to Oliver Scarles.
West Ham Predicted XI:
(3-5-2): Alphonse Areola; Aaron Cresswell, Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Tomas Soucek, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse, Oliver Scarles; Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen.
