Newcastle handed early boost ahead of Monday night clash with West Ham

Eddie Howe’s Mags have been handed an early boost ahead of their clash with Julen Lopetegui’s West Ham later this month.

Hammers star Mohamed Kudus, currently serving a three match ban following on from his red card against Tottenham Hotspur, has now seen his ban extended an additional two games.

This means that the Ghanaian attacker will now miss West Ham’s crunch games against both us and Arsenal, forcing him to sit out the Monday night clash at St James’ Park on 25th November.

As one of West Ham’s premier players, his absence gives us a fantastic advantage against the Hammers, who have left new boss Julen Lopetegui under serious pressure after they fell to a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Kudus starred in both our games against West Ham last season, scoring a late equaliser in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, as well as netting his side’s second in our epic 4-3 win at St James’ Park back in March.

With Jarrod Bowen set to duel with the in-form Lewis Hall, Newcastle could find itself boasting a superior starting XI on the 25th, as we look to continue our upward march up the Premier League table.