Newcastle United will be in London for the third time this season to take on West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Newcastle United begin their November fixtures with an away trip to West Ham United. Steve Bruce’s side are coming off a 1-1 draw to Wolves last weekend, which is a result most fans view as two crucial points dropped at home. Newcastle United will will hope to rebound against Manuel Pellegrini’s troops, but that is much easier said than done.
The Hammers have gotten off to a good start this season and their squad seems to be in sync on both ends of the pitch. The home team is favored to win on Saturday, but these two clubs have both claimed the double against each other over the last two seasons. Both teams have players who can make the difference in this clash, so, without further delay, let’s take a look at three interesting battles to keep an eye on this weekend.
Allan Saint-Maximin vs. Felipe Anderson
The battle between Allan Saint-Maximin and Felipe Anderson might be the most interesting battle on the wing in the entire league this weekend. Both players are recognized as dynamic wingers who boast blistering pace, superior technical abilities and enjoy creating chances from distance. The wingers have created a combined total of 24 chances this season, but what makes this battle more interesting is that they are both searching for their first goal of the campaign. That being said, expect both players to compete with maximum effort on Saturday.
Joelinton vs. Sebastien Haller
While this next battle won’t see the two players in direct contact with each other, pride is on the line for both strikers. Joelinton and Sebastien Haller are new to the Premier League and both Newcastle United and West Ham United spent large sums of money to secure their services. Haller is off to a much better start than Joelinton after 10 matches. Haller already has four goals and an assist to his name, while Joelinton has only scored once. Haller will look to add to his tally on Saturday and Joelinton will look to make up for the good opportunities he has wasted thus far.
DeAndre Yedlin vs. Andriy Yarmolenko
Last, but not least, we have DeAndre Yedlin going up against Andriy Yarmolenko. In terms of physicality, Yarmolenko wins this battle all day. I don’t expect Yedlin to be covering the Ukrainian international all afternoon, but I do expect them to interact quite often when Yarmolenko runs down the flank and attempts to cut inside. The Magpies will be dependent on Yedlin’s pace to intercept passes targeting Yarmolenko and to confront him immediately after he gains possession of the ball. Yarmolenko may not be a big name in the top flight, but he is enjoying a good run of form with three goals and an assist this term. This will be an interesting battle between strength and pace.