Following a poor start to 2024, where the Hammers went on an eight-game winless run, they have displayed the form from earlier in the season that saw them temporarily sit top of the Premier League table in the campaign's opening weeks. 

A 4-2 home victory over Brentford was a much-needed one with David Moyes who was coming under increasing pressure and they were able to follow that up when they ran out as 3-1 victors over Everton. 

Unbeaten in four outings in the league, the East Londoners have also continued their European success after progressing into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League, thrashing Bundesliga outfit Freiburg 5-1 over two legs. 

With testing Premier League matches coming up against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Hammers also have to try and navigate past an unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League in a few weeks. 

Newcastle will be Moyes' main focus now,  with both teams sharing the spoils in a 2-2 draw in October. 

A tricky trip to Tyneside

Newcastle have struggled to replicate the success of previous seasons this term and have struggled to contend with many injuries to their key players. 

Currently occupying tenth place and four points off of West Ham, Eddie Howe's side have had an inconsistent season so far, which also saw them knocked out of the group stages of the Champions League, notwithstanding the fact they had a very tough group with Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan. 

Moyes views Saturday's clash as a vital match in their push for European football.  

"I think it’s a really important game, as they all are now," he said. 

"I think we have nine to play. I think every game’s going to be vitally important to pick us as many points as we possibly can.

"There are a few teams chasing in and around the European spots and we’re one of them.

"We’ve had more games than Newcastle, so I can only comment on ourselves. Has it impacted us? Yes, it has.

"I’m sure in some ways it’s impacted Newcastle as well."

European aspirations 

Moyes has delivered European football to the London Stadium every season, apart from in his first spell, and he is on course to deliver another European campaign. 

Having finished in the semi-finals of the Europa League in the 2021/22 campaign, the Hammers famously lifted the Europa Conference League last season, despite a poor league campaign. 

Moyes would view securing a European spot as a big achievement, bearing in mind the quality of the sides sitting around them in the table. 

"It would be unbelievable for us to get four years in a row," he claimed.

"I think the level of competition in the Premier League is so difficult every year and trying to be in and around the top teams.

"We see the quality of the top two, three, four teams are so good, teams regularly getting to the latter stages of the Champions League, getting to finals and winning them, so I think being in and around them and being just below that is good.

"We’d like to challenge them but at the moment we’ve got to be happy with where we are."

Antonio's return

Jarrod Bowen shone for the first few months of the campaign as a make-shift striker with Michail Antonio sidelined with a knee injury for three months. 

Having returned in the 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in February, the Jamaican international was back amongst the goals with his opener in the 1-1 draw to Aston Villa. 

Moyes knows the importance of having Antonio back at his disposal as we approach the business end of the season. 

"I think having Michail Antonio back has given us another dimension," he believes. 

"It’s one that we’ve had in the past but you’ve got to remember that he’s been out since November.

"Our results have been good. We’ve had some really good periods with and without Mick but he scored a really good goal for us the other week against Aston Villa.

"It’s his goals we need him to add. I think to be a team at the top of the Premier League, you need to have regular goalscorers and goals getting scored.

"Jarrod Bowen has got a great number of goals this year and has done brilliantly well recently, so we need Mick to get up amongst those numbers and score goals regularly for us."

Travelling faithful huge in European push 

A section of West Ham fans are still not in favour of having Moyes as boss but it has to be said, the 60-year-old has transformed them from a side heading for the Sky Bet Championship in 2020 to European champions last year

Moyes highlights the key role the Hammers faithful have to play in the remaining weeks of the season. 

"St James’ Park is probably one of the best in the country," the Scotsman said. 

"Because of the success their team have had over the past year or so, they’ve always been incredibly passionate, but I think they’re probably even more so with what they’re getting.

"At West Ham, we’ve had brilliant seasons and we need the fans to really stick with us through what is a really important time of the season.

"Let’s hope they’re all behind us in the coming games at London Stadium and away from home."