Newcastle United v West Ham
Sunday 24th May 2015 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
Football – England – Premier League
Well, it’s been a turbulent season throughout for the hosts Newcastle United who find themselves in real danger of being relegated down to the Championship if they fail to get something at St James’ Park today.
Newcastle severed relations with former manager Alan Pardew during the season following an uneasy relationship between himself and the fans, and caretaker manager John Carver has the massive responsibility of keeping The Magpies up in the English top flight. Recent results however, suggest that he has a hell of a job on his hands as the hosts have lost nine of their last ten in the Premier League, with a 1-1 draw against West Brom saving their blushes from ten straight defeats.
Newcastle’s overall home record stands at a below-par 6-5-7 24/27 with just one win on home turf in their last nine which was a 1-0 win over Aston Villa. But only four clean sheets at home suggests they are vulnerable at the back (which they are), but they’re also capable of finding the back of the net themselves. Incidentally, both teams have scored in 11 of their 18 home matches to date.
Visitors West Ham will finish in a comfortable mid-table position this season which I believe is just about right for The Hammers as they experienced a ‘season of two halves’ under manager Sam Allardyce. Before Christmas, West Ham enjoyed a successful start to their campaign, racking up a total of nine wins.
However, since the turn of the year, The Hammers have registered just a further three league wins against Hull City, Sunderland and Burnley but they stand a very good chance of taking something at St James’ Park this afternoon as they won’t be under any pressure to perform.
This is just as well for West Ham as they’ve failed to win on the road in their last eleven trips amidst a poor overall away record of 3-7-8 19/27, but as mentioned earlier, they will face a very jittery home defence here this afternoon which they could exploit with players such as Downing and Valencia.
Newcastle United v West Ham Betting Tips
There’s no doubt that all the pressure will be on Newcastle this afternoon as they not only have to take on West Ham but perhaps also their own fans. The Magpies need all three points to ensure their Premier League safety, and as such, they’ll need to press forward which could leave them exposed at the back. I therefore believe both teams will score today as a result, could be a 1-1 draw.
Pick: Both teams to score @ 1.62 bet365
