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West Ham kick off their 2021/22 Premier League season away to Newcastle United on Sunday as David Moyes looks to balance domestic targets witha European adventure.

The Hammers enjoyed a stellar 2020/21 campaign, finishing seventh and missing out on Champions League football by just five points... but Europa League qualification means Moyes’ men are set for a few trips to the continent this term.

The real trick will be ensuring West Ham make a strong start to the League campaign while the fans and players are busy dreaming of Europe, and games like their opening-day trip to Newcastle will be key to their grand plans this term.

The Hammers have yet to replace Jesse Lingard after the attacker returned to Manchester United on loan, so there will be pressure on Moyes’ other creative players to step up and provide goals.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Photo: Getty

Newcastle vs West Ham is scheduled for a 2pm BST kick-off on Sunday, August 15, 2021 at St James’ Park.

Where to watch Newcastle vs West Ham

TV channel: The match will be televised on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers will be able to watch the match online via the website or Sky Go app.

Team News

Newcastle are thought to be making great strides in their efforts to sign Willock, but it remains to be seen if he will be registered in time for the visit of West Ham.

Freddie Woodman is set to occupy the gloves as Martin Dubravka (foot) and Karl Darlow (coronavirus) remain unavailable, while Paul Dummett's calf problem will also force the defender to miss the opening day.

Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin seem set to form Bruce's first-choice front pairing throughout the season barring any fitness woes, while Miguel Almiron has a fight on his hands to force his way into the engine room.

West Ham have a few bumps and bruises to assess before the opening day, with Angelo Ogbonna, Manuel Lanzini and Arthur Masuaku all uncertain, although the latter two would struggle to contend for starting roles anyway.

Issa Diop and Craig Dawson will likely form the centre-back pairing with Ogbonna doubtful, but who they will be protecting is more of an uncertainty, as Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola are set to battle for the number one spot over the coming months.

Michail Antonio continues to hold the fort up top as West Ham's only recognised centre-forward, but he only needs one more goal to match Paulo Di Canio's Premier League record of 47 for the Hammers.

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Woodman; Fernandez, Lascelles, Schar; Murphy, Hayden, S. Longstaff, Almiron, Ritchie; Wilson, Saint-Maximin

West Ham United possible starting lineup:

Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio

Match preview

Photo: Reuters

Newcastle and relegation scraps are something of an inevitability these days, but the introduction of a certain Arsenal loanee ultimately propelled the Magpies clear of the bottom three and into a fifth successive season of Premier League football.

Bruce's men were languishing down in 17th place with only nine games left to play, but the heroics of Joe Willock against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, West Ham United and Sheffield United – to name but a few – saw Newcastle win three of their final four games and finish as high as 12th.

With the frustration of stalled takeover talks continuing to rumble on in the background, Newcastle's pre-season kicked off with a 1-0 defeat to York City, but the Magpies responded with successes over Doncaster Rovers, Burton Albion and Norwich City, beating the latter 3-0 in front of the returning St James' Park crowd.

However, to say that it has been an underwhelming summer of transfer movement would be an understatement, with three academy prospects representing the club's only incomings so far, although a £25m deal for Willock is still expected to come to fruition.

Having become synonymous with hefty injury lists, the absences of Bruce's two first-choice goalkeepers will certainly not aid a team who only kept two Premier League clean sheets at home all season last term, while West Ham are out to right the wrongs of the opening day 11 months ago.

The irrepressible David Moyes machine will now attempt to prove their worth on the European stage, as the Hammers' sixth-placed finish in the 2020-21 season saw them make the Europa League group stages for the first time ever.

For a short while, Champions League football seemed to be on the agenda for West Ham, but defeats to Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton crushed those dreams for a side who - like Newcastle - were inspired by a six-month loan signing intent on reigniting his career.

Jesse Lingard travelled to the capital after enduring a painfully difficult first half of the season at Old Trafford, where his opportunities were few and far between under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but with 14 goal contributions in 16 games for the Hammers (nine strikes, five assists), his role in their European charge proved invaluable.

The club's attempts to bring Lingard back to the London Stadium permanently have so far failed to bear fruit, but they certainly did not need him to enjoy an eye-catching pre-season period - winning their last five exhibition matches - including a 2-0 success over Atalanta and 6-2 thrashing of Celtic.

This time last season, Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick netted in a 2-0 win for Newcastle at West Ham on the opening weekend, and the capital side are out to end a five-game opening day losing streak ahead of their trip to the North East.

Newcastle vs West Ham prediction

It hasn’t been a glorious summer transfer window for the Hammers, but they will back the quality in their squad to hit the ground running on Tyneside.

West Ham to win 2-1.

Betting tips

Hammers to start strongly

West Ham have enjoyed a positive pre-season, winning five and drawing two of their matches, and they lost only one of their last five away league games of the 2020-21 season.

That defeat did come in this fixture, which Newcastle won 3-2, but West Ham played almost an hour of the match with 10 men after Craig Dawson was sent off.

The Hammers appear to be gaining momentum ahead of Sunday’s clash and they will be confident of overcoming a Newcastle side who could face another relegation battle.

Although Willock is set to move permanently from Arsenal, it is not yet certain whether he will be available for the season opener and that is a big worry for the Magpies, who relied heavily on the midfielder in the second half of last season.

Steve Bruce has yet to make any other signings and with a squad that already looks stretched, any injuries to the likes of Callum Wilson or Allan Saint-Maximin may leave Newcastle reeling.

Tip: West Ham to win @ 23/20 with Paddy Power

Case for defences looks weak

Newcastle’s defence have not looked anywhere near as solid under Bruce as it did under former boss Rafael Benitez and the Magpies managed to keep only seven clean sheets in the Premier League last season, just two of those on home soil.

While they may struggle at the back, they do have some good attacking options and Wilson was particularly impressive last season, scoring 12 times in just 26 league appearances.

Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron scored a combined seven goals while Willock, who could be involved if his move goes through quick enough, found the net eight times in 14 appearances.

West Ham also excelled in the final third last season, scoring 62 times, more than every team below them in the table bar Tottenham Hotspur, who managed 68 goals.

However, the Hammers were also leaky at the back and they only managed five shut-outs on the road, conceding 11 times in their final seven away league matches.

Tip: West Ham to win and both teams to score @ 16/5 with Paddy Power

Soucek set to punish Newcastle

Czech Republic midfielder Tomas Soucek was a revelation in his first full season at West Ham, scoring 10 goals in 38 Premier League appearances, and he poses a real threat to Newcastle.

The Magpies conceded 62 league goals (only four teams let in more) and eight of those were from set pieces, which is an area West Ham can exploit.

The Hammers scored 16 times from set pieces in the previous campaign, the most of any team, and Soucek’s height and aerial prowess can cause their hosts big problems.

Tip: Tomas Soucek to score at any time @ 3/1 with Paddy Power

Newcastle vs West Ham odds

Newcastle are 11/5 to win at the weekend, with West Ham 23/20 to come away with the victory. A draw is priced at 12/5.

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