Jeff Stelling shares worryingly accurate prediction for West Ham clash vs Newcastle – ‘Carnage’
Nuno Espirito Santo will hope to earn his first win in charge of West Ham on Sunday.
West Ham will face Newcastle United at the London Stadium, with the Hammers without a win in their last six games.
Nuno only arrived at the end of September, but the manager has already overseen three Premier League losses in his four games in charge.
West Ham were beaten 2-1 by Leeds United last week, with set-piece defending again a topic of discussion.
After Joe Rodon had headed home to extend the lead, West Ham were slammed for their defending of the set-piece against Leeds.
Jeff Stelling predicts Newcastle win vs West Ham
West Ham have been handed a 64 per cent chance of relegation this season, with no end in sight for Nuno’s troubles.
The Hammers appear to lack any fight, with quality also severely lacking throughout the team.
| West Ham – next five | Date |
| Newcastle United (H) | 2 Nov |
| Burnley (H) | 8 Nov |
| Bournemouth (A) | 22 Nov |
| Liverpool (H) | 30 Nov |
| Manchester United (A) | 4 Dec |
There is the sense, however, that even one strong result could see the burden eased somewhat and Nuno’s team given a new lease of life.
It will have to be a monster effort to make that happen against Newcastle, however, with the Magpies remaining among the Premier League’s stronger outfits.
Jeff Stelling does not think it will be a day of resurgence for Nuno’s team, with the presenter predicting further trouble from set-pieces.
“Newcastle travel to West Ham, who are desperately seeking a win,” Stelling told talkSPORT. “But who are they going to beat? It’s hard to imagine that it’s going to be Newcastle.
“It’s also hard to imagine just what carnage Dan Burn and Nick Woltemade might reap at corners against the Hammers’ leaky defence.
“The Geordies are much better at home than they are on the road, but you have to fancy them at a ground where they almost always do well.”
Nuno’s corner fears becoming reality
Speaking before West Ham’s trip to Arsenal and his second game in charge, Nuno said on corners: “It can become a psychological issue. But we will try to avoid it.
“The worst thing that can happen is that if an opponent gets a corner, we start immediately thinking that we are in trouble. It’s not the mindset. That can happen. It can become a trauma.”
Incredibly, against the Premier League’s most dangerous team from set-pieces, West Ham defended from the corner quite well.
But that fear remains, and it will be prominent again on Sunday. With all of the issues Nuno is facing with the Hammers, he must ensure his team can, at least, get the basics right.
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