We have to wait a couple of extra days for Newcastle United's return to action following the international break with West Ham United gracing St James' Park with their presence on Monday night with an 8pm kick-off live on Sky Sports.
Newcastle are back on the right path after three consecutive wins, while West Ham, despite having beaten Manchester United, are having a tough start to the new campaign with talks that boss Julen Lopetegui is already on borrowed time.
The Magpies will be without Dan Burn on Monday who has picked up a suspension for accruing five yellow cards, but Eddie Howe has no new injury concerns that weren't there before the international break.
Callum Wilson was due to return for Monday's game but that's now a doubt, which will no doubt be disappointing for him as he loves a goal against the Hammers.
Chris Sutton has predicted the score for his BBC column and he doesn't foresee any big problems for Eddie Howe's side on the night.
"It feels to me like Southampton’s Russell Martin is the manager who is closest to the edge at the moment but West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui is probably not too far behind him.
I was at this game last season, when Newcastle won 4-3 after being 3-1 down, and it was probably one of the results that meant Lopetegui’s predecessor, David Moyes, was not offered a new deal.
I think Hammers fans have been underwhelmed by what they’ve seen since Lopetegui arrived, because it is not working out under him. As I’ve said before, I don’t quite know what kind of team they are trying to be.
I don’t see them getting any joy at St James' Park this time, either. Alexander Isak looked back to his best when Newcastle beat Forest last time out, and they should be too strong for West Ham too.
Sutton's prediction: 2-1"
While it's not as emphatic a win as Paul Merson predicted, and given how close the Premier League table is, goals could be very important, so hopefully we can grab a few at the expense of a struggling West Ham.
However, three points is the main aim on Monday and whether that comes by a one-goal margin or six, it's the points on the board we need right now.
Are you feeling confident going into Monday's game?
PL | GD | PTS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Liverpool
|
12 | 16 | 31 |
2 |
Manchester City
|
12 | 5 | 23 |
3 |
Chelsea
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
4 |
Arsenal
|
12 | 9 | 22 |
5 |
Brighton
|
12 | 5 | 22 |
6 |
Tottenham Hotspur
|
12 | 14 | 19 |
7 |
Nottingham Forest
|
12 | 2 | 19 |
8 |
Aston Villa
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
9 |
Newcastle United
|
11 | 2 | 18 |
10 |
Fulham
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
11 |
Brentford
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
12 |
Manchester United
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
13 |
Bournemouth
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
14 |
West Ham United
|
11 | -6 | 12 |
15 |
Everton
|
12 | -7 | 11 |
16 |
Leicester
|
12 | -8 | 10 |
17 |
Wolves
|
12 | -8 | 9 |
18 |
Ipswich
|
12 | -10 | 9 |
19 |
Crystal Palace
|
12 | -7 | 8 |
20 |
Southampton
|
12 | -15 | 4 |