Buoyed by the 2-0 triumph over Cardiff City as well as the return of Andy Carroll, West Ham will be hoping to move further away from the bottom three with a victory over Newcastle. The Magpies were terribly unlucky to lose to Manchester City after having a goal wrongfully disallowed, but the reality is they are under pressure following the run of four straight defeats in all competitions.

Hammers out to prove doubters wrong

Many people were quick to criticize Sam Allardyce for the latest poor run of results that saw West Ham drawn in the relegation tussle, but the reality is the Hammers have been paying the price for an unbelievable string of injuries to star players. Everybody at the club was certainly banking on Andy Carroll and his goals to propel the team to the top half of the standings, and no doubts the England international has been sorely missed in the first part of the season. The great news is that he has finally returned into action following a lengthy spell on the sidelines and he is even tipped to start against his former club. And with both Carlton Cole and Modibo Maiga putting in some very good performances of late, and Ravel Morrison set to return, the Hammers should be much more dangerous up front. And while almost entire back four continues to miss out, the hosts are all too aware they need to attack Newcastle from the off if they want to make the away triumph over Cardiff count, which is enough to suggest we will see a highly entertaining encounter.

James Tomkins and Kevin Nolan are both suspended, whereas Guy Demel, John Collins, Winston Reid and Joey O’Brien are out injured and Ravel Morrison faces a fitness test.

Unlucky Newcastle

An impressive run of results that was capped off with a 5-1 triumph over Stoke City on Boxing Day saw Newcastle climb to sixth in the Premier League standings, but a lot has changed since for Alan Pardew’s side. Narrow defeats to Arsenal and West Brom at the turn of the year acted as minor blows to the players’ confidence, whereas home loss to Cardiff meant the Magpies were eliminated from the FA Cup. Newcastle then showed a lot of promise in the high-profile match against Manchester City and did well to get back into the game after conceding an early goal, but they unfortunately had the goal that should have levelled the score wrongfully disallowed. That incident clearly changed the course of the game and Newcastle ended up losing the match 2-0. The problem is the team are now on a four-match losing run that is threatening to ruin their season, so no doubt they will be looking to put a stop to it at Boleyn Ground. And having already won five of ten away matches this season, the Magpies will fancy their chances of getting something from this game.

Fabricio Coloccini and Mathieu Debuchy continue to miss out through injury and suspension respectively, but there are no fresh worries for Alan Pardew.

Verdict

West Ham should look much more dangerous up front now that Andy Carroll is back to the side and given the position they are in, the Hammers can be trusted to attack Newcastle from the off. And with the Magpies desperate to put an end to their losing run, chances are we are going to witness a very open match.

Top pick: Over 2.5 goals   1.91 (10/11) @ William Hill

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score   1.70 (7/10) @ BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Draw   3.40 (12/5) @ Sportingbet