They say no news is good news in times of worry so West Ham fans will be hoping that’s the case for the Premier League clash with Newcastle.
It is a six-pointer of sorts when West Ham travel to Newcastle in the Premier League this weekend.
The Hammers sit seventh going into the game – four points and three places above Newcastle.
That will be good enough for West Ham to seal European qualification for a fourth season on the bounce after Liverpool won the Carabao Cup.
But Newcastle have a game in hand on the Hammers.
And Eddie Howe’s side will be determined to try and close the gap on West Ham in the race for a European spot.
Newcastle vs West Ham is Euro six-pointer
Newcastle have been ravaged by injuries ahead of the match at St James’s Park. Howe lost another key player to injury this week making it six definitely out and three doubts for the Hammers.
David Moyes has his own big concerns, though, in the shape of Mohammed Kudus and missing Edson Alvarez.
It was reported earlier this week that West Ham’s star boy is only rated 50-50 for the game. That’s after pulling out of the Ghana squad with a shoulder problem.
But let’s hope it’s a case of no news – or in this case no Mo news – is good news for the Hammers after an official update ahead of Newcastle.
No news good news for Hammers over Kudus?
In the team news section of West Ham’s official match preview for the Magpies, the club has confirmed Alvarez will be missing through suspension.
The Hammers have said Maxwel Cornet may be in contention after injury. But there is absolutely no word on Kudus.
Moyes likes to play his cards close to his chest on team news to keep the opposition guessing.
So we can only hope no Mo news means there is no issue.
Because Kudus is key to our hopes of securing that European spot again.
Can West Ham take advantage of Newcastle injury crisis?
Especially as the Hammers have a pretty dismal record against Newcastle over the last five years.
West Ham have won just once in the last nine Premier League meetings since 2019.
And the east Londoners have lost four of those clashes.
A win for West Ham would put a sizeable gap between the two clubs for the run-in.
Newcastle’s injury crisis certainly gives West Ham’s manager a helping hand in looking to redress the balance. But we must remember how crucial Alvarez is too.
