da dobrowin： One of the stand-out fixtures in the Premier League this weekend comes as Newcastle United host West Ham United at St James’ Park on Saturday, with both teams having lost their opening two games of the season.
da bet7： While the Magpies have been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur and fellow new-boys Huddersfield Town without scoring a goal, the Irons have lost to Manchester United and Southampton on the road with their London Stadium home still not ready following the 2017 Athletics World Championships this summer.
The Hammers were thrashed 4-0 by the Red Devils but they were unfortunate to come away from St Mary’s with nothing considering they came from 2-0 down with 10 men to make the score 2-2 thanks to a brace from Javier Hernandez, before Charlie Austin’s last-gasp penalty won it for the hosts.
In order to secure their first points and win of the campaign over the Magpies, Slaven Bilic must find answers to these three key questions…
Who is going to replace the suspended Arnautovic?
The Austrian joined West Ham for a club-record fee, but he didn’t make the greatest impression in only his second Premier League appearance for the club as he was sent off in the 33rd minute against Southampton at St Mary’s for elbowing Saints defender Jack Stephens.
Considering that the Irons came from 2-0 down to make it 2-2 without the former Stoke City man, his dismissal may even have cost them taking all three points against Mauricio Pellegrino’s side, who struggled on the day.
Arnautovic will miss the trip to St James’ Park this weekend through suspension, and Bilic must decide who is going to replace him on the left-hand side.
While Andre Ayew, Michail Antonio, Arthur Masuaku and Aaron Cresswell are all possibilities, the Croatian boss could even be tempted to go with Javier Hernandez considering how impressive he was when he moved to that flank when the Hammers were reduced to 10 men against Southampton.
The Mexican was particularly impressive and as well as scoring a goal, he also cut in and put in some dangerous crosses.
With Diafra Sakho and Andy Carroll potentially available, Bilic could choose to go with one of those as the main striker and Hernandez out wide.
How do they make Hernandez the main man?
While he was relatively isolated and anonymous in their opening day 4-0 defeat to Manchester United, Hernandez showed just how much of an impact he can still make in the Premier League following the defeat against Southampton.
The 29-year-old was in the right areas and reacted quickest twice to score a brace for his side, but it was his all-round play that was particularly impressive.
The Mexican showed some great touches and put some inviting crosses into the box when he was pushed out wide, and Bilic has to work out how to get him involved frequently and make him the main man ahead of the Irons’ trip to St James’ Park.
The Croatian will be under severe pressure if his side are beaten by Newcastle, and he will know that Hernandez could make the difference when it comes to how many points they pick up.
How can they be stronger defensively away from home?
Having added Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart to their defensive ranks over the summer, Slaven Bilic would have hoped that his side would be a little more resolute going into the current Premier League season, but it hasn’t really happened.
While Manchester United were extremely impressive on the opening day, West Ham struggled as they conceded four goals and they were often weak defensively against Southampton despite having the excuse of being down to 10 men.
The central defensive partnership of Angelo Ogbonna and Jose Fonte didn’t look particularly strong, and the latter was beaten far too easily for Manolo Gabbiadini’s opener for Saints before he brought Steven Davis down in the penalty area for the hosts’ second goal.
Bilic is trying to bring in William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon to provide a barrier to the shaky backline, but he may have to work out another plan for the trip to Newcastle if that deal doesn’t go through, with a potential change to three centre-backs possible depending on the fitness of Winston Reid after he suffered a calf injury in the warm-up at St Mary’s.
Alternatively, Cheikhou Kouyate could also return to the starting line-up following a knee injury, and he would provide some much-needed strength in the middle of the park.
Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.