English Premier
2026-05-17 - Newcastle United vs West Ham United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 17th May 2026 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV
Newcastle United
The season has not panned out as expected and there has been some frustration voiced out of The Toon Army, but reports suggest the Newcastle United board are going to keep faith with Eddie Howe as manager ahead of the 2026/27 season. The manager will be aware that a strong start will be needed in August and Howe will be hoping that he can just reshuffle some of the squad after a disappointing campaign.
The late goal conceded at the City Ground last weekend has left Newcastle United in 13th place in the Premier League table and a return to European Football looks very unlikely. This is the last game of the season at St James' Park where Newcastle United have a 9-2-7 record in the Premier League and that will need to be improved next season to get into a much better position in the Division.
Newcastle United ended a 5 game losing run in all competitions by beating Brighton and have followed up by picking up a point at Nottingham Forest. The Magpies had not won any of the previous 4 at St James' Park in all competitions before the win over Brighton and fans will be demanding a strong end to the season to ensure they finish above rivals Sunderland.
Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Emil Krafth and Lewis Miley are missing for the home team.
West Ham United
Fans are always going to be frustrated by decisions made by officials which feel inconsistent as to what has come before, but the West Ham United 'equaliser' against Arsenal last Sunday was rightly ruled out for a foul on the goalkeeper. You can argue that other cases of holding could have been looked at, but the biggest moment on the day was the Mateus Fernandes miss when the game was still level going into the final twenty minutes.
That is the moment that could define the title race and the relegation fight, but West Ham United will have been grateful that Tottenham Hotspur failed to win on Monday night. All of that means The Hammers are still in 18th place in the Premier League table, but they are 2 points behind Spurs with two games to play and West Ham United go out first again this week. It is imperative that West Ham United pick up a positive result to rebuild momentum as they travel to the North East with a 4-5-9 away record.
West Ham United did look to have the momentum behind them at the end of April, but they have lost both Premier League games played in May and without scoring a goal. The side have won 1 of the last 5 away Premier League games played and West Ham United have lost 3 times in that run.
Adama Traore is hoping to rejoin the squad and travel to the North East ahead of this big fixture.
Head to Head
West Ham United came from behind to beat Newcastle United 3-1 at the London Stadium earlier in the season.
Both Premier League games were won by the away team last season.
Newcastle United have won 1 of the last 4 when hosting West Ham United and it is The Hammers who have won twice in that run of fixtures.
Prediction
If this game had been scheduled for March, you would likely have seen a bigger price for West Ham United to win at St James' Park for a third time in five visits.
That may have been appealing, but there is a sense that the current quotes are based around the 'need' for West Ham United to win here and give themselves a chance of avoiding relegation next weekend.
Unfortunately, it should also be stated that any team in this kind of desperate position is there for a reason and West Ham United are going to have to be more solid than they were when losing 3-0 at Brentford earlier this month.
Nuno Espirito Santo may take heart from the performance against Arsenal, but Mateus Fernandes missed a huge chance for The Hammers to take the lead and that proved to be costly. There will be complaints about the VAR intervention to rule out an equaliser deep into injury time, but West Ham United need to find more and time is running out.
A draw would still leave West Ham United vulnerable to relegation before the final day kicks off, but a defeat would mean Tottenham Hotspur need just a point from the last two games to avoid a damaging relegation.
Playing first gives West Ham United a chance to build pressure, but it also leaves them uncertain as to what is considered a good result outside of the obvious win.
They may be facing Newcastle United at a difficult time with Eddie Howe's team producing three solid enough performances.
Last time out at St James' Park, they blitzed Brighton in a 3-1 win and Newcastle United's squad will want to sign off with a positive result at the end of an unsuccessful season.
Eddie Howe is likely to be retained as manager, but he will want to remind the fans of his capabilities leading this squad and Newcastle United have shown enough of an attacking threat to make things very tough for West Ham United.
The home team are vulnerable at the back and West Ham United's counter-attacking ability will make them dangerous.
However, it feels like the result last Sunday could have a damaging effect on the morale of the squad and Newcastle United's power in the North East has produced more wins than losses here.
The draw feels like it does little for either team and Newcastle United could produce a victory that leaves West Ham United clinging onto top flight status.
The Pick :
Newcastle United 2-1 West Ham United
