West Ham head to Newcastle for what is a huge game in the battle for survival and Eddie Howe has a message for relegation rivals Spurs.
It is the final countdown in the Premier League relegation fight as West Ham and bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur face off in a straight shootout for survival.
Heading into the final two games, West Ham know they can go above Spurs and dump them into the bottom three with victory at Newcastle United on Sunday.
Tottenham then have a tough trip to Chelsea, where they have a dismal record, on Tuesday night.
Howe has message for Spurs and warning to West Ham
West Ham can pile pressure on Roberto De Zerbi’s side by beating Newcastle.
But Eddie Howe’s Magpies have rediscovered some form in recent weeks, taking four points from the last two games.
Between 1-10, how would you rate West Ham’s survival chances if they beat Newcastle? 😬
There is a major debate raging over the integrity of the Premier League relegation battle and fight for the title.
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Aston Villa were accused of making a mockery of the battle to stay in the top flight when Unai Emery made seven changes to his side for a defeat at home to Tottenham.
Fans of not only West Ham but clubs across the country felt Emery’s changes for the 2-1 loss brought world’s best league into disrepute.
Officiating in games involving the Hammers and Tottenham has also come under the microscope.
West Ham have questioned the Premier League over the choice of officials for the Newcastle clash after they were involved in a major VAR offside mistake which cost Leeds what would have been a certain penalty in the 1-1 draw with Spurs on Monday night.
On the face of it, West Ham go to Newcastle at a good time as they have nothing to play for in the last two games.
Spurs relief as Howe vows Newcastle will go all out against West Ham
Many fans of Newcastle have quipped they want Howe to field a weakened team against the Hammers to help send Tottenham down.
But Howe has sent a message to Spurs about Newcastle’s clash with West Ham.
Imagine you’re Nuno – what changes are you making ahead of Newcastle? 💭
Back four? Start Wilson? What would you do? 🤔
And the Englishman has made it clear he won’t be doing a Villa when the Hammers roll up to St James’ Park.
Howe says he will be going all out to beat West Ham and described the game as ‘massive’ for Newcastle.
“The game is massive for us, the last home game of the season,” Howe said on Newcastle’s official website.
“We have trained hard and trained well.
“We need to do ourselves justice, we have to build momentum and confidence in what we are doing, the players will take these last two games into the summer with them.”
In truth, West Ham don’t have a leg to stand on over those Villa changes after what David Moyes did back in 2023.
If West Ham are relegated and Spurs survive, it won’t be because of Unai Emery or Eddie Howe – it will be the result of years of bad decision-making from the very top of the club, managerial mistakes and poor recruitment.
What the Hammers can rightly feel aggrieved about, though, is some of the refereeing decisions against their side of late.
The Premier League revealed this week West Ham should have had two penalties given in the defeat to Brentford.
There was the controversy over the Hammers’ equaliser against Arsenal being scrapped and a host of other big calls which have cost Nuno Espirito Santo’s side points.
West Ham must be prepared to face the best version of Newcastle.