7 mins: This is already looking like it could be a long night for West Ham. Newcastle are finding a lot of space to play through Lopetegui’s team.

Gordon’s shot is blocked, with West Ham deep and narrow in defence.

4 mins: Isak races away and chips the ball over Fabianski! It’s a lovely finish, but the flag goes up!

Oh... this is tight! But Isak is offside - Kilman was able to step up just in time to catch Isak offside.

2 mins: An early sighter for Isak! Nice build-up from Newcastle. Livramento plays the striker down the line - Isak takes it early, from a wide angle. He blazes wide with Gordon an option. Quite easy for Newcastle to play through there.

Isak gets us underway! This is a big night for Julen Lopetegui.

Quite the reception for Alexander Isak tonight with the Newcastle fans creating a huge display for their star striker at St James’ Park. Isak has goals in his last four games. The players are out and kick-off is next!

Newcastle can leap from 9th to 6th tonight with a win - and they would be just a point behind 3rd place Chelsea with three points. Eddie Howe’s side are growing in momentum.

Julen Lopetegui, speaking to Sky Sports:

“We have to improve a lot of things but we will do it as a team. Newcastle are a very good team with good players.

“Very technically and physically strong. If we want to overcome them, we will have to focus on ourselves.”

West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen, speaking to Sky Sports, ahead of tonight’s match against Newcastle:

“It’s a massive night. We have need reached the standards of previous campaigns.

“It’s been disappointing for us but we are confident and there are lots of opportunities to put things right.

“We are in a results business and results matter. It’s up to us.

“The manager has good ideas with the ball, under the old manager we had a way of playing and were successful but we’ve changed that.

“You have to adapt and find the right balance. It is down to us players to buy into those ideas.”

Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher has predicted that West Ham could be “rolled over” by Newcastle tonight and warned that Julen Lopetegui could face the sack if results don’t improve.

“This is a team that have lost five games by two or more goals. This is not what West Ham fans want,” Carragher said.

“Lopetegui is fortunate that they have not pulled the trigger, if it doesn’t change very quickly, I think there could be a change.

“It’s not an easy game tonight, I could see them getting rolled over.”

Last season’s meeting between Newcastle and West Ham was one of the games of the season, with Eddie Howe’s team coming from 3-1 down to win 4-3 at St James’ Park.

Key to that comeback was Harvey Barnes, who scored twice from the bench. He has an impressive record against West Ham too.

He’s either scored or assisted in each of his last four against West Ham (4 goals, 1 assist) and has scored in each of the last three.