· March 7 2025, 18:00
**When Bruno Guimaraes joined Newcastle United in January 2022 fans were convinced that the club would return to Lyon to bring his midfield partner and best friend Lucas Paqueta to the Toon with him.**
The move for Lucas Paqueta never materialised, but it wasn't long before the Brazilian was playing in the premier League, opting to join West Ham United, and while his impact in English football wasn't as immediate as Bruno's, he's since proven to be a force in the Hammers' midfield.
Paqueta has missed the last couple of games for West Ham but looks set to be fit to face his good buddy on Monday night after shaking off an ankle injury.
Later this month, Paqueta's case regarding breaches of betting rules, which came to light in May 2024, will finally be heard [with the FA seeking a lifetime ban](https://talksport.com/football/2989548/lucas-paqueta-betting-offences-lifetime-ban-hearing/), but until then, he is free to continue playing.
Graham Potter has confirmed that Lucas Paqueta is available for Monday's game
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Quite why it has taken this long for the case to be heard, we're not sure, given how swiftly the Italian Football Federation acted to ban Sandro Tonali.
So with no suspension in place and the injury now a thing of the past, Graham Potter has confirmed that Paqueta will play on Monday.
> “He’s fine. He’s been disappointed because he’s missed games with injury, but he’s worked hard and trained well this week. I’ve found him no problem whatsoever, and he’s been really good.
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> “He’s been with the group and given everything in the games he’s played. He’s done everything he needs to do and he’s available again.”
Let's hope Bruno can put his friendship aside on Monday night - we need fighting energy
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We just hope that Bruno Guimaraes keeps the friendliness off the pitch and won't shy out of any challenges on Monday night just because it's his bestie.
We've already seen Jealous Joelinton isn't afraid to show Paqueta who is the new brother in arms, we won't mind seeing that again.
What would really narc us off is if Paqueta leads West Ham to victory and then gets a lifetime ban a couple of weeks later. Not that we want to see a player banned for life for betting, that's actually ridiculous.