Why West Ham could be without SIX key players against Newcastle

Newcastle are set to face a severely depleted West Ham United side this weekend.
Marko Arnautovic will feature for West Ham at NewcastleMarko Arnautovic will feature for West Ham at Newcastle
Marko Arnautovic will feature for West Ham at Newcastle

The Magpies have won their last three Premier League outings and will be looking to extend that run when the Hammers visit St James's Park on Saturday afternoon.

West Ham have a torrid record in the North East and will face an uphill battle on Tyneside this weekend given that half a dozen key players look set to miss the game.

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A series of injuries mean Manuel Pellegrini looks set to be without some of his first-team regulars - although he was handed a boost after Austrian forward Marko Arnautovic was passed fit.

Winston Reid (knee), Carlos Sanchez (knee), Andriy Yarmolenko (Achilles), Manuel Lanzini (ACL) and Ryan Fredericks (fibula) are all definitely ruled out.

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere (ankle) remains a doubt - but will face a fitness test ahead of the Newcastle game.

The return of Arnautovic, though, represents a key boost for Pellegrini.

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After failing to complete the full game at Manchester City last weekend, there were fears the ex-Stoke man would be sidelined for the trip north, but the Hammers' boss confirmed he has trained with no complications.

"Marko has worked the whole week without any problem," he said.

"We gave him an extra day to recover from the game on Saturday but he is OK."