Lewis Hall of Newcastle United arrives at the stadium prior to the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Newcastle United and Bradford City at St James' Park on September 24, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)placeholder image
Lewis Hall of Newcastle United arrives at the stadium prior to the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Newcastle United and Bradford City at St James' Park on September 24, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images) | Getty Images
As one full-back returns for Newcastle United, another drops out of the matchday squad.
The Magpies have endured a patchy start to the new Premier League season, currently sitting 13th in the table with three wins, three draws and three defeats.
But Eddie Howe’s side hope to have built up some momentum in recent times, having recorded three straight wins in three separate competitions.
Newcastle beat Benfica in the Champions League and followed that up with a 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League. A rotated starting XI that saw off Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Victory against the Hammers, who sit 19th in the table with four points, would see United record back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since April.
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Howe named eight changes for the Spurs game in midweek and has made six changes for the visit to the capital.
Malick Thiaw, Emil Krafth, Dan Burn, Sandro Tonali and Nick Woltemade retain their place as Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Joelinton, Anthony Gordon, Jacob Murphy and Bruno Guimaraes are recalled.
Kieran Trippier drops out of the matchday squad due to illness, while Aaron Ramsdale, Fabian Schar, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga, Joe Willock and Jacob Ramsey are on the bench.
In Trippier’s absence, Krafth makes his first Premier League start in over a year. United remain light at full-back with Tino Livramento also sidelined,
Newcastle United injury boost v West Ham United
As one full-back drops out, another one returns. Lewis Hall, who cost Newcastle £28m from Chelsea, is back among the substitutes following four matches out with the hamstring issue he sustained in last month’s 4-0 Champions League win in Union Saint-Gilloise.
Hinting at Hall’s return in his pre-match press conference, Howe said: “Yes, he's very close. He hasn't trained with us yet, so hopefully he'll be training with us today for the first time. We'll see how he looks.
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“I think he's worked really hard, he's looked after himself, he looks in really good shape. But then we have to introduce him back into the squad at the right time.”
Eddie Howe previews West Ham United v Newcastle United
On the prospect of recording back-to-back league victories, Howe said: “Yes, it'd be huge for us, and I think it's only with back-to-back wins, if you look at the lead table, that we're going to propel ourselves up, because it's so tight.
“There's a lot of teams congested around where we are, and you're looking for one positive result to try and elevate you. So yes, this is a big game for us.
“All the games in the Premier League are so important. But as we go towards the next international break, the next two are huge.”
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