The team sheets are in at the London Stadium, where Newcastle United take on West Ham in tonight’s 8pm kick-off.
A huge game to build momentum ahead of Sunday’s final and vital for our European push after results over the weekend saw us drop down to 9th.
Here is the side Eddie Howe has gone with against the Hammers
**Newcastle XI (4-3-3):** Pope – Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento – Bruno, Tonali, Joelitnon – Murphy, Isak, Barnes.
**Subs:** Dubravka, Targett, Willock, Krafth, Wilson, Neave, Longstaff, Osula, Miley
**West Ham XI (5-3-2):** Areola – Wan-Bissaka, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell, Scarles – Alvarez, Ward-Prowse, Soucek – Bowen, Kudus.
Howe has opted for Harvey Barnes on the left wing, with Tino Livramento at left-back, Nick Pope back in goal and Joelinton in midfield alongside Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.
This sees Lewis Miley and Joe Willock on the bench, along with 17-year-old striker Sean Neave after the local lad has impressed for the Under-21s.
Anthony Gordon misses out as he serves the first of a three-match ban, while Lewis Hall (ankle) and Sven Botman (knee) are absent as they prepare to undergo surgery.
Speaking to the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday, Howe urged the players to “believe in ourselves” and “come together” over the coming weeks to make this a special season; in the league and cup.
“A positive has to come from this for us to have any chance of being successful in the next few weeks,” Howe said. “There is no question of us feeling sorry for ourselves.”
“We believe in ourselves and we believe in the group. We believe in how we play and how we work. I believe in the characters of the players. I believe we’ve got a really special team and a special group of people. But we need to come together.
“After the Brighton game, that was a really difficult feeling for 48 hours. But there is always a new day and a new way of looking at the same situation. For me, I look at it as, ‘Can I find answers to the problems? Then, can we fight back even stronger?’”
Let’s hope the lads can respond to recent setbacks – on and off the pitch – and send us back up to sixth tonight. Howay the lads!