West Ham XI vs Newcastle: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news and injury latest
Antonio struggled with a hip problem during last weekend’s victory over Sheffield United and did not travel to Germany in midweek, where the Hammers beat Freiburg 2-1 to go three points clear at the top of their Europa League group.
Ahead of that game, manager David Moyes said he was unsure whether the forward would recover in time for the visit of the Toon and he is set to be assessed over the weekend ahead of Sunday afternoon’s fixture.
In the Jamaican’s absence in midweek, Moyes opted for a new-look front-three, Jarrod Bowen leading the line with support from Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta and the Scot could stick with a similar approach rather than draft in Danny Ings.
“I will need to see,” Moyes said on Friday. “He’s not trained yet.
“He has done some running with the medical team, so over the next couple of days we will see if he is able to play.”
The likes of Tomas Soucek, Kurt Zouma and Alphonse Areola were among those rested on Thursday night and will likely come straight back into the side.
Predicted West Ham XI: Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson; Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soucek; Kudus, Bowen, Paqueta
Injuries: Johnson, Cresswell
Doubts: Antonio
Time and date: 2pm, Sunday October 8, 2023
Venue: London Stadium
