Newcastle United are back in action away to West Ham United in the Premier League this evening, with the Magpies having made a fine return from international duty after beating Manchester United last weekend.
That commanding, 2-0 win saw goals from Joe Willock and Callum Wilson prove the difference against a lacklustre Old Trafford outfit, with Eddie Howe's men having surged into third place with the battle for Champions League football now hotting up.
The Tynesiders will be hoping to maintain that momentum against the relegation-threatened Hammers later today, with the two sides having previously played out a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture at St James' Park back in February.
Ahead of the trip to the London Stadium, there are believed to be doubts surrounding the fitness of the aforementioned Willock with the Englishman sustaining a hamstring issue on Sunday, while both Miguel Almiron and Emil Krafth remain long-term absentees.
With that in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how the northeast side could line up against David Moyes' men tonight.
What will Newcastle's starting XI be against West Ham?
4-3-3 – (GK) Pope; (RB) Trippier, (CB) Schar, (CB) Botman, (LB) Burn; (CDM) Guimaraes, (CM) Longstaff, (CM) Joelinton; (RW) Gordon, (LW) Saint-Maximin, (ST) Wilson.
We predict that there could be three alterations from the side that powered past the Red Devils just a few days ago, albeit with Howe likely to keep faith with his tried and trusted defensive unit, having conceded the fewest goals in the division this season.
As for the midfield, the potential concern surrounding the stricken Willock could see a return to the starting lineup for influential Brazilian, Joelinton, with the 26-year-old having only been involved off the bench last time out after serving a two-game suspension prior to that.
The most notable changes could seemingly lie in the forward line, with fleet-footed Frenchman, Allan Saint-Maximin potentially the only figure to keep his place after looking "back to his best" against Erik ten Hag's side, according to Northern Echo's Scott Wilson.
On the other flank, Jacob Murphy could make way for January arrival Anthony Gordon, with the young 6-foot "game-changer" – as described by himself – having looked 'dangerous' during his lively cameo at the weekend, in the words of the Chronicle's Lee Ryder.
The final attacking berth could well be taken up by Sunday's goalscorer, Wilson, with the England international's stellar record of ten goals in just 12 games against today's opponents potentially set to see him take the place of Alexander Isak through the middle.
