Happy Saturday to you all, although I imagine 'happy' is not quite how you're feeling if you're a Newcastle United supporter. The Magpies host West Bromwich Albion this afternoon in what could be a hugely pivotal game of their season. I'll be providing you with all the build-up, action and goals (hopefully) as they come in at St James' Park.

For the visitors, today is about building on last week's 1-0 win over Manchester United as the Baggies are safe from relegation due to the seven-point gap between themselves and the bottom three. They can stretch their unbeaten run to four games if they take points from a dejected Newcastle side, who have plunged into the relegation battle having lost their last eight matches.

Things can't really get much worse for the North-East outfit and interim manager John Carver, who is widely expected to be let go by the club at the end of the season after he took over from Alan Pardew in January. Newcastle have three games to retain their top-flight status, starting with a visit from West Brom. So, before we delve any deeper, let's take a look at today's starting XIs. We'll begin with the home side...

NEWCASTLE XI: Krul; Anita, Coloccini, Dummett, Taylor; Colback; Cabella, Sissoko, Gutierrez; Riviere, Perez

NEWCASTLE SUBS: Woodman, Satka, Abeid, Ameobi, Aarons, Gouffran, Cisse

The headline news from Newcastle's stand-point is that Papiss Cisse is back in the squad after completing a seven-match ban for spitting at Manchester United's Jonny Evans. His goal threat will be much-needed for the hosts, but due to his lack of match fitness, the striker has only been handed a spot on the bench. As we know, Mike Williamson and Daryl Janmaat are out of the squad entirely as they serve suspensions after getting sent off in the Magpies' 3-0 defeat to Leicester City last weekend.

The enforced changes mean that Vurnon Anita comes into the defence, while Remy Cabella has been given the nod to start, alongside Jonas Gutierrez and Moussa Sissoko. Tim Krul keeps his place in goal, while captain Fabricio Coloccini, Paul Dummett and Ryan Taylor slot into the back four. Emmanuel Riviere and Ayoze Perez will lead the attack, while Roland Aarons has been handed a spot on the bench following a lengthy spell on the sidelines with injury. Now for the visitors...

WEST BROM XI: Myhill; Dawson, McAuley, Olsson, Lescott; Gardner, Fletcher, Mulumbu, Yacob, Brunt; Anichebe

WEST BROM SUBS: Rose, Wisdom, Baird, Morrison, McManaman, Ideye, Berahino

Tony Pulis has made just the one change to the side who beat Manchester United seven days ago - Saido Berahino has been dropped to the bench, with Victor Anichebe starting up front on his own. Boaz Myhill sits between the sticks as normal, while the back four of Gareth McAuley, Jonas Olsson, Joleon Lescott and Craig Dawson remains unchanged.

Pulis keeps with his five-man midfield as Darren Fletcher leads the pack, which includes Craig Gardner, Youssouf Mulumbu, Chris Brunt and Claudio Yacob. It appears as though the intention is to frustrate a Newcastle side desperate for goals. We'll see how Carver's men can handle what's put put in front of them in due course...

The West Brom squad looked in a relaxed mood when they arrived at St James' Park earlier today.

Right, there's only one place to start really, isn't there? The question some of you may be asking yourselves is, 'what on earth is going on at Newcastle?'. Ever since Alan Pardew waved goodbye to the Magpies, things have pretty much gone downhill. Well, in fairness, life wasn't a bed of roses at the start of the season either. The team have not picked up a point in their last eight league fixtures, which is only the second time in their club's history, and on top of that, in truth, they don't look like a squad that are capable of picking up much more in their next three outings. It will be catastrophic if the North-East outfit fall out of the Premier League, especially since they boast one of the biggest followings in the country.

So, where do the problems lie? With regards to on the pitch, on average in recent games, the team have had just over 40% of the possession and in their last eight matches they have had 18 goals shipped past them. At the other end, they have only managed to find the back of the net four times since March 4. Quality seems to be lacking among the team and due to their current predicament, confidence is likely to be at an all-time low, especially after John Carver accused Mike Williamson of deliberately getting sent off in last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Leicester City...

Let's relive that moment, shall we? During the post-match press conference at the King Power Stadium, Carver said: "I spoke to Mike Williamson at half-time and had a few choice words. I thought he'd [got sent off] on purpose - it looks like he did. The ball was off the pitch - he had no need to make the challenge. He will miss two games now, is it an easy way out?"

Carver was suggesting that the defender wanted to receive his marching orders so that he would be banned from having to play in the club's pivotal run-in, but the player himself denied the accusations in a statement that read: "I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Newcastle United supporters and my fellow teammates for getting sent off during yesterday's game.

"There was absolutely no intent to hurt Jamie [Vardy] or get sent off but I recognise that I should have been more composed in my determination to win the ball. Moving forward, I will do whatever I can to help my teammates prepare for the next two games and fight to get back into the team when I am available.

"I've had the honour to play for Newcastle for five years now and I can genuinely say I feel privileged to play for this club. I would never do anything to hurt the team or its supporters."

Carver has been under intense scrutiny since he took the job and if reports are to be believed, there was a chance that he might not have ended the season with Newcastle if Derby County boss Steve McClaren hadn't turned down an offer to take over. In this week's pre-match press conference, Carver did little to turn the attention away from him by stating that he is the "best coach" in the Premier League. Considering that the 50-year-old has overseen just two victories in the 16 games that he's been in charge, that statement is quite debatable.

The turmoil on and off the pitch has caused numerous supporters to boycott St James' Park, while some continue to call for the head of club owner Mike Ashley, who they believe has been failing the club financially. The discontent among the fans prompted captain Fabricio Coloccini to write an open letter apologising for the team's poor run and encouraged everyone to pull together to get them through these final three games.

Well, Newcastle have been dealt a blow before they've even got onto the field! Their arch rivals Sunderland have just moved up to 14th in the table with a 2-0 win over Everton at Goodison Park. The Black Cats are now one point above Newcastle in the standings. If that's not an incentive to win for the Magpies, I don't know what is!

In all of this Newcastle talk, we can't forget today's opponents! West Brom head into this fixture in confident form after securing victory over Manchester United and taking a point off Liverpool in their last two games. There was a danger that the Baggies could be pulled into the relegation dogfight following three defeats in a row, but after gaining seven points out of nine, the team are now in 13th place and out of trouble.

While manager Tony Pulis previously stated that he doesn't like having the reputation of saving clubs from relegation, in effect, he has done just that. The club's top-flight status looked bleak during the final matches of Alan Irvine's spell, but Pulis, who saved Crystal Palace's campaign last season, has turned West Brom's fortunes around since he arrived at The Hawthorns in January.

Saido Berahino, who has struggled to find the goal of late, spoke earlier this week about Pulis's qualities as a coach. Berahino has been dogged by a number of off-field incidents, as well as his controversial claims back in February when he said that he would like to move to a bigger club in the future. Despite all of this, the England Under-21 international has insisted that Pulis has been the right coach to keep him focused.

Berahino told Sky Sports News: "He has always kept me on the straight and narrow to make me focus on my football and keep playing and enjoying it. Everyone knows how Tony Pulis is as a person. He's a bit old school but it's old school that works."

Now, with regards to the history between these two sides, there is nothing to separate them - both have 44 wins each in their head to heads, but Newcastle have a better recent record as West Brom have won just once in their last six games against the Magpies. St James' Park has been a definite home comfort for Newcastle as 30 of their victories have come there, and they have beaten the Baggies in their last two home fixtures.

PREDICTION: There's no way of getting around it - this is a must-win game for Newcastle if they are to keep their place in the Premier League. With fellow relegation battlers Sunderland, Leicester City, Burnley and Hull City all playing today, you feel that the Magpies need to get something out of this game otherwise they could be doomed. The pressure is off for West Brom, but considering their recent run, they'll be confident of picking apart this Newcastle side. The home team are desperate for a result, but do they have that quality to get it? For me personally, I can't see past a score draw.

Those are my thoughts, but you can also hear the views of our Sports Mole panellists Matt Law and Pascal Lemesre. Find out what they had to say in the video below:

Right, we have just over five minutes until kickoff. Will Newcastle's attacking side be able to penetrate West Brom's defence? This afternoon's visitors have not conceded in their last two games, so it could be a difficult ask for the home side.

The teams head onto the pitch to a huge round of applause from the fans at St James' Park. We'll see if that remains the case after 90 minutes.

KICKOFF! Newcastle get us underway, kicking from right to left...

West Brom attempt the first attack of the game as Gardner finds space on the right and tries to swerve the ball low towards Anichebe, but the frontman is rightfully flagged offside.

Granted we're only three minutes into the encounter, but Newcastle have barely had a touch on the ball yet. It appears that West Brom's game plan is to keep possession and have Anichebe up top and available for when he's needed.

SHOT! Newcastle unleash the first effort at goal through Sissoko, who broke away from his marker and took a long-range thumping shot towards the net, but it flies over the crossbar.

The home side are getting more of the ball now and seem to be settling into the game. Cabella has seen a lot of the play come down his left-hand side, but none of the players in black and white striped shirts have been able to find Riviere and Perez.

OFF THE POST! So close for West Brom, but Newcastle manage to escape. Anita goes for safety by knocking the ball behind for a corner and the hosts are given their first test at defending as Gardner delivers the ball in. It's whipped in and met by Dawson, but his header bounces off the post.

CHANCE! After that brief scare, Newcastle get plenty of space in the middle of the park and eventually win a free kick. Taylor whips it in and finds the head of Dummett, who manages to connect, but his effort flies high and misses the target.

It's a strange atmosphere at St James' Park at the moment. The home fans clap and cheer every time their team look to be on the attack, but other than then, there's quite a subdued feel about the place.

Riviere and Perez are struggling to get in the game at the moment. The latter has dropped back on occasion to get himself some more time on the ball, and I think Newcastle are realising that long balls aren't going to do the trick.

Colback has been in impressive form of late, but he's given the ball away a handful of times in this first half. Cabella moves to the left and knocks it along to Colback, but his first touch is poor and Mulumbu collects.

Cabella once again gets the ball and shows some intent by driving into the box. He goes down for a penalty claim, but the referee is having none of it. It's a good decision by Chris Foy as the Newcastle man went down far too easily.

The home side have had most of the ball and have been on the frontfoot for these first 20 minutes, but the quality is lacking. Cabella has had plenty of time to get decent crosses into the area, but his attempts have been relatively poor so far.

West Brom's defence are as reliable as ever as Lescott blocks a thumping cross from Perez. The men in red continue to push back their opponents and at the moment, the hosts are struggling to find a way through.

Newcastle have a decent opportunity to get a shot on goal as Taylor lines up to take a free kick, which is closer to the centre circle than the box! Nonetheless, he goes for goal, but misses the target as it bounces towards the outside of the post.

Some nice link-up play between Riviere and Sissoko results in the former gliding into the box, but his turn lets him down and the Baggies' defence are able to break down the attack.

West Brom are doing what they do best by defending deep and welcoming Newcastle on to them. The problem for the home side is that the quality is lacking and the deliveries into the box haven't been great. They earn another free kick, which is whipped into the box. Dummett reaches it first, but he can't get a clear header on and it bounces high and into the hands of Myhill.

Another free kick comes Newcastle's way, but the flag goes up when Sissoko brings down Dawson after Taylor's cross came in. The hosts are getting plenty of opportunities to create goalscoring chances, but they're just not being taken right now.

OFF THE LINE! It's the closest that Newcastle have come to scoring. Taylor swings another free kick into the box. The ball drops to the head of Coloccini, who knocks it back towards Sissoko. The Newcastle man goes for a thumping shot, but Lescott is well placed to clear off the line.

Despair for Newcastle, but delight for West Brom as the visitors take the lead through Anichebe. It's against the run of play, but the Baggies take full advantage of a rare set piece. The Baggies are given a free kick, which resulted in Gutierrez getting booked, and it's whipped in by Gardner. He finds the head of Anichebe, who gets above his marker to nestle the ball into the back of the net.

This will be a huge test of Newcastle's mental strength now as they have to come from behind to get the crucial points that they need to stay in the Premier League.

The home side are on the frontfoot again as West Brom get back in shape by dropping bodies deep. Taylor plays in Colback, who tries to turn and face goal, but there are red shirts all over him and he gets muscled out.

We hear the first groans from the crowd as Dummett goes for a diagonal ball, but his pass finds nobody and it bobbles out of play. The Newcastle man had much better options around him. The first signs of frustration from the home side.

Newcastle come again with Anita, who storms down the right-hand side and whips in a cross into the boss, but it's easily headed clear by McAuley. Seconds later, Sissoko drives inside and tries to place the ball into the back of the net, but it goes straight into the hands of Myhill.

McAuley could have been left red-faced there after some poor control in his own half. Riviere manages to latch onto the loose ball and swivels before unleashing a shot at goal, but it's too high and soars over the bar.

It's the perfect response from Newcastle and a sweet strike from Perez to level the scoreline. It comes from another set piece as the ball is delivered into the box by Taylor to find the forward, who controls perfectly with his right foot and then sends the ball past plenty of bodies with his left foot and into the back of the net. Game on!

West Brom could have been 2-1 up almost instantly! Brunt charges into the right side of the penalty area, which causes Krul to come off his line, but he's nowhere near the ball as West Borm knock it back into the area before it's cleared by Coloccini. A let-off for the home side!

Despite that brief scare, Newcastle are looking to end the first half on the frontfoot as Anita and Perez link up on the right before the Dutchman launches a cross into the penalty area. It's knocked out for a corner, but Myhill is able to snatch the ball and keep his side out of danger.

So, there we have it. Everything is all square at St James' Park at the break following Newcastle's response to going a goal down. The home side have been the more attacking side and have had the majority of possession, but for most of the half they struggled to break down a stubborn West Brom side.

Against the run of play, Victor Anichebe managed to score a header from a set piece and give the Baggies the lead, but Newcastle refused to let their heads go down and their pressing eventually paid off with a skillful goal from Ayoze Perez. The question is, do Newcastle have enough to gain all three points?

I expect the Baggies to stick to their game plan and try to frustrate their opponents in the second half. It will be up to Newcastle to break through the barriers and if they show some more quality and a clinical edge, then they could get some joy. For West Brom, they've proven numerous times this season that they can strike from set pieces. So, Newcastle will need to be wary of that.

As the Premier League table stands at the moment, Newcastle are just one point above third-from-bottom Hull City as Steve Bruce's side are currently goalless against Burnley at the KC Stadium. Will Newcastle get the vital points that they need, or can West Brom stretch their unbeaten run to three games? We don't have long to find out!

RESTART! West Brom get the second half underway...

Newcastle go for an early long-ball play searching for Perez, who bares down on Lescott as the pair edge closer to the box, but the defender does just enough to keep the forward at bay.

CHANCE! A nicely-worked attack from West Brom as Anichebe lays the ball off to Fletcher on the break. The former Manchester United midfielder delivered at perfectly-weighted pass over to the post with Gardner on his way, but the Baggies man thumps the ball into the side-netting.

At the other end, Gutierrez comes forward in an attacking role to get a cross into the box, searching for Sissoko, but McAuley gets there first and the ball is knocked back. Newcastle keep up the attack with Cabella, who is the victim of a sliding challenge from Gardner, but the referee seems happy with the challenge.

BOOKING! Dawson is the first West Brom player to receive a yellow card as he mistimes his tackle on Cabella.

It's actually a more open game this half as West Brom look for the winner. Both sides have created attacking plays since the break, so at this point, it could go either way.

Cabella darts past a number of red shirts in the box and knocks the ball along to Perez, who lays it off to Colback, but West Brom manage to clear and prevent a shot at goal.

WEST BROM SUB: Mulumbu makes way for Morrison. It's unclear if this is tactical or an injury - if it's the latter, I'm sure we'll find out the extent of it after the game.

Newcastle are ramping up the pressure as Perez feeds the ball into Sissoko, who delivers a whipping cross towards Riviere, who comes together with McAuley before the ball is knocked over the crossbar. The home fans are furious that the referee hasn't award a corner for that.

Newcastle are getting plenty of the ball now as they search for a winner. Anita finds space for the cross and manages to deliver it in, but Myhill reads it well and snatches the ball from the air.

Oh dear, John Carver isn't happy as Newcastle are denied a throw-in. In fairness, the ball does appear to come off the West Brom player, but Carver is furious. So much so that he takes time before giving the ball back to Olsson!

The home side are on the attack again and Perez finds himself open in the 18-yard box. He has time to pull the ball back, but he goes for goal at the nearpost, but it's a tame effort and Myhill gathers.

Newcastle get another corner and Taylor delivers in a decent cross, but West Brom show their height and strength to clear the danger.

Play is halted for a moment as McAuley seeks medical treatment. Meanwhile, Newcastle fans vent their anger at Dawson as he seems to purposefully take his time before committing the throw-in.

Myhill is involved again as the ball is floated into the box and finds the head of Coloccini, who hits it across goal, where the goalkeeper is placed to push away.

NEWCASTLE, WEST BROM SUBS: It's what all the home fans want to see - Papiss Cisse enters the field, replacing Riviere, while Saido Berahino comes on for Gardner.

The ball is hoofed up top by Newcastle but as it trickles along, both Olsson and Cisse go for it. The lack of match fitness shows from Cisse as Olsson is able to get there first and clear.

OFF THE BAR! Oh my, West Brom should be leading! The ball is high and Brunt latches onto it and unleashes a shot at goal, but it bounces back from Dummett's block and into his path again. He goes for a second attempt, but it rattlers off the crossbar.

It's end to end stuff here! Newcastle get another corner kick and as Taylor swings it in, Lescott is able to get there first and head the ball away from the box. The home side have just over 10 minutes to get that all-important winner.

WEST BROM SUB: The visitors make their final change as McManaman comes onto the pitch to replace Anichebe.

BOOKING! No complaints from Taylor as he goes in the book for clattering into McManaman with the ball long gone.

What a poor decision from Taylor as he opts to take a free kick in West Brom's half quickly, but none of his teammates read it and the ball bobbles towards Myhill.

BOOKING! Morrison receives a yellow card for a silly tackle on Taylor. If his foot was any higher, he could have seen red.

It looks to be a tense finish at St James' Park. Anita looks up and spots Cisse's run before launching the ball forward, but McAuley has read the movement to and gets there first to head away.

At the other end, Brunt manages to find Berahino onside with a great pass. The West Brom forward only has Krul to beat, but he takes too long and Coloccini comes in to get a touch and Berahino's shot is deflected, which takes the sting out of it and Krul gathers.

NEWCASTLE SUB: The home side make a change as Ameobi comes on to replace Perez.

BOOKING! Yacob gets penalised for pulling the shirt of Ameobi, who wins the free kick, but unfortunately for the home side, it comes to nothing.

Cabella, whose been busy in attack this afternoon, goes for glory from the left corner of the box, but his effort flies high over the crossbar.

SAVE! Cabella connects with a cross and fires towards goal, but Myhill is at his nearpost to palm the ball away. Even if it had gone in, the goal wouldn't have counted as Cabella was penalised for pushing McAuley in the box.

SAVE! Cisse sets the ball up for Sissoko, who generates plenty of power on his low drive, but Myhill drops down to his left to push the ball away from the net. Newcastle have less than four minutes to get that crucial winner!

This time, Ameobi goes for glory as he commits a scissor kick towards goal, but despite the athleticism, he misses the target.

NEWCASTLE SUB: The hosts make their final change as Anita hobbles off and is replaced by Mehdi Abeid.

Well, the good news is that Newcastle's eight-game losing run has come to an end, but the bad news is that they have only gained one point from their 1-1 draw with West Brom. All three points would have been crucial in their bid to stay in the Premier League, but their fight isn't over yet as they remain two points above the drop. For West Brom, they're already safe and they have extended their unbeaten run to three games in the top flight. That's all from me for the time being, but make sure to stick with Sports Mole for all the reaction, analysis and player ratings from St James' Park. Until next time, goodbye!