Newcastle United and West Ham United will once again lock horns on the opening day of the Premier League season, this time in front of the St James' Park faithful on Sunday afternoon.
Steve Bruce's men will aim to steer clear of danger for the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign, while West Ham must balance domestic and European commitments.
Match preview
Newcastle and relegation scraps are something of an inevitability these days, but the introduction of a certain Arsenal loanee ultimately propelled the Magpies clear of the bottom three and into a fifth successive season of Premier League football.
Bruce's men were languishing down in 17th place with only nine games left to play, but the heroics of Joe Willock against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, West Ham United and Sheffield United – to name but a few – saw Newcastle win three of their final four games and finish as high as 12th.
With the frustration of stalled takeover talks continuing to rumble on in the background, Newcastle's pre-season kicked off with a 1-0 defeat to York City, but the Magpies responded with successes over Doncaster Rovers, Burton Albion and Norwich City, beating the latter 3-0 in front of the returning St James' Park crowd.
However, to say that it has been an underwhelming summer of transfer movement would be an understatement, with three academy prospects representing the club's only incomings so far, although a £25m deal for Willock is still expected to come to fruition.
Having become synonymous with hefty injury lists, the absences of Bruce's two first-choice goalkeepers will certainly not aid a team who only kept two Premier League clean sheets at home all season last term, while West Ham are out to right the wrongs of the opening day 11 months ago.
The irrepressible David Moyes machine will now attempt to prove their worth on the European stage, as the Hammers' sixth-placed finish in the 2020-21 season saw them make the Europa League group stages for the first time ever.
For a short while, Champions League football seemed to be on the agenda for West Ham, but defeats to Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton crushed those dreams for a side who - like Newcastle - were inspired by a six-month loan signing intent on reigniting his career.
Jesse Lingard travelled to the capital after enduring a painfully difficult first half of the season at Old Trafford, where his opportunities were few and far between under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but with 14 goal contributions in 16 games for the Hammers (nine strikes, five assists), his role in their European charge proved invaluable.
The club's attempts to bring Lingard back to the London Stadium permanently have so far failed to bear fruit, but they certainly did not need him to enjoy an eye-catching pre-season period - winning their last five exhibition matches - including a 2-0 success over Atalanta and 6-2 thrashing of Celtic.
This time last season, Callum Wilson and Jeff Hendrick netted in a 2-0 win for Newcastle at West Ham on the opening weekend, and the capital side are out to end a five-game opening day losing streak ahead of their trip to the North East.
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Team News
Newcastle are thought to be making great strides in their efforts to sign Willock, but it remains to be seen if he will be registered in time for the visit of West Ham.
Freddie Woodman is set to occupy the gloves as Martin Dubravka (foot) and Karl Darlow (coronavirus) remain unavailable, while Paul Dummett's calf problem will also force the defender to miss the opening day.
Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin seem set to form Bruce's first-choice front pairing throughout the season barring any fitness woes, while Miguel Almiron has a fight on his hands to force his way into the engine room.
West Ham have a few bumps and bruises to assess before the opening day, with Angelo Ogbonna, Manuel Lanzini and Arthur Masuaku all uncertain, although the latter two would struggle to contend for starting roles anyway.
Issa Diop and Craig Dawson will likely form the centre-back pairing with Ogbonna doubtful, but who they will be protecting is more of an uncertainty, as Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola are set to battle for the number one spot over the coming months.
Michail Antonio continues to hold the fort up top as West Ham's only recognised centre-forward, but he only needs one more goal to match Paulo Di Canio's Premier League record of 47 for the Hammers.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Fernandez, Lascelles, Schar; Murphy, Hayden, S. Longstaff, Almiron, Ritchie; Wilson, Saint-Maximin
West Ham United possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Diop, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma; Antonio
We say: Newcastle United 0-2 West Ham United
Keeping Wilson, Almiron and Saint-Maximin fit and firing on all cylinders is simply vital for Newcastle lest they risk being dragged into another battle for survival, and the potential arrival of Willock should certainly lead to greater optimism at St James' Park.
West Ham have never been renowned for their opening-day supremacy, but Moyes's men were simply unplayable in pre-season and ought to get off on the right foot before their European endeavours take precedence.
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