Tony Cottee previews West Ham v Newcastle

Hammers’ legend talks about this Saturday’s clash at Upton Park

With a trip to Arsenal the week after, it is vital that West Ham beat Newcastle this weekend at Upton Park.

It would be great to pick up four points from these next two matches and keep our unbeaten run going, but after a few draws, we must take all three points against the Magpies.

Newcastle are not too far way from us in the table and are pretty good away from home, so it won’t be easy,

They proved on Saturday that they don’t give up easily after coming back from two down to grab a draw against Wigan, while inconsistency is their biggest issue and you cannot be sure what Newcastle side will turn up. The one that thrashed Aston Villa 6-0, or the side who lost at home to Blackpool.

It’s the lack of consistency which has been a huge problem for a lot of teams this season which is why there is such a small gap between the sides in the bottom half of the table.

I would say that Andy Carroll is their biggest threat, with his physicality and aerial ability and I am sure he could be a handful.

However, we have defended well of late and Maunel Da Costa is excellent in the air and I would not be surprised to see him paired with the England under-21 international.

If the Hammers put out a strong team who play to their potential than I am confident we will take the three points.

A win will be a big boost for West ham and will surely push the side out of the relegation zone.