‘A much better team’ - pundit predicts ‘tight affair’ in Newcastle United vs West Ham clash

The midweek Premier League action contines tonight with two crucial fixtues in the battle for Champions League qualification.

Newcastle United are looking to tighten their grip on the top four when they travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham United and know that if they slip up then Manchester United could be ready to capitalise as they host Brentford at Old Trafford. The Magpies and the Red Devils are both on 50 points going into their respective matches but are separated by Newcastle’s far superior goal difference.

As for West Ham, they are scrapping at the wrong end of the table but did pick up an important 1-0 win at home to bottom club Southampton last weekend. The Hammers are currently 15th but only being kept out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Ahead of the matches, former Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa striker Chris Sutton says he is expecting a ‘tight affair’ but is tipping the St James’ Park outfit to return to the north east with all three points. The Premier League winner was writing for his regular BBC Sport Premier League prediction column and is backing Newcastle to win 1-0 in the capital this evening.

He wrote: “It is so tight at the bottom that one win makes a massive difference - look at West Ham, who were second bottom before they beat Southampton on Sunday. If the Hammers had lost, then there’s a good chance David Moyes would have been sacked but they just about got over the line.

“It is so tight at the bottom that one win makes a massive difference - look at West Ham, who were second bottom before they beat Southampton on Sunday. If the Hammers had lost, then there’s a good chance David Moyes would have been sacked but they just about got over the line.”

Sutton usually faces off against a weekly guest star in his column and this week it was actor Jack Rowan who, even as a supporter of West Ham, doen’t think the Hammers have what it takes to get the win tonight. He does however believe they will have enough about them to earn a point and predicts a 1-1 draw, writing: “Newcastle and West Ham kind of cancel each other out a lot of the time, and our games always seem to be close. We probably deserved to beat them at St James’ Park earlier in the season and I’d obviously love us to win this one but this screams a draw at me. It won’t be a high-scoring game and I think we will have it in us to make it ugly and get a point.”