Newcastle United face Sam Allardyce's West Bromwich Albion at high noon on Sunday needing a win & all 3 points against a side currently nine points below them in 19th spot in The Premier League table and must overcome adversity again like when they bounced back from a bout of Corona Virus to beat The Baggies 2-1 at St James' Park in December.

Rocked by a double injury blow to in-form game-changers Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron, who are both missing until April after injuries picked up in the 1-1 draw against Wolves on Sunday night, the Magpies must also brush aside another attempt to derail their season before a key game again by reporters.

Without Saint-Maximin and Almiron, Newcastle must shuffle their attacking pack yet again and it could be a start for goal-getter Dwight Gayle, who came off the bench in December to bag that winner against The Baggies, who he was on loan to in 2018/9:

Joelinton or Andy Carroll must start alongside Gayle to give Newcastle some vital height and aerial presence in the attacking third against any team put out by Sam Allardyce, whose are notorious for their physicality and competitiveness with the Brazilian getting the nod from the start for extra mobility against WBA's tired legs with Carroll still the ultimate super-sub option from the bench.

And Scotland international Ryan Fraser, who came on and set up Jamaal Lascelles' header against Wolves last week with an excellent cross, should make up the forward three as a fast, ball-carrying, dribbling like for like replacement for the injured duo.

If Burnley lose to Arsenal and Brighton lose to Leicester on Saturday and Newcastle manage to beat West Brom on Sunday, Steve Bruce's men can leapfrog both The Clarets and The Seagulls on 29 points with a superior goal difference into 15th place and start to clamber up the Premier League table towards safety.

When Newcastle beat West Bromwich in December, Slaven Bilic was The Baggies manager but he was sacked after guiding Albion to a more than respectable draw against Man City, after which Pep Guardiola's men have won 21 games on the spin, but it is new boss Sam Allardyce who will pit his wits against Steve Bruce in the dug-out.

Allardyce is a veteran managerial campaigner and has acquired a reputation of being the ultimate relegation rescue-man having saved every team he has been charged to save from going down as Newcastle found to their cost in the 2015-6 campaign although there was a major question over the manner of his first game & Sunderland's 3-0 win when Fabricio Coloccini was wrongly sent off & a penalty awarded at 0-0, a wrong decision that would ultimately cost Newcastle safety and £100M+.

Allardyce went on to manage England but for just 67 days as he left in disgrace being sacked after accusations of the dodgy financial dealings that have dogged his career.

There were alarm bells ringing at the manner of West Brom's victory over Brighton on Saturday when referee Lee Mason from Bolton, the city in which Sam Allardyce managed and played for a decade, inexplicably disallowed a legitimate Brighton goal when Lewis Dunk took a quick free-kick to spark refereeing and VAR pandemonium:

That was West Brom's second win under Allardyce, the other against Wolves was also mired in refereeing controversy when the first of 2 penalties West Brom were awarded looked outside the area and a clear handball at the other end wasn't given as a penalty by VAR Andrew Madley - the brother of Robert Madley, the referee who wrongly aided Allardyce's first Sunderland win in 2015 with that Coloccini red card, a decision later overturned on appeal but too late.

Interestingly, Andy Madley was also the referee when Newcastle lost to Sheffield United in January to a controversial penalty and no red card for Graham Sharp for a horrendous challenge on Fabian Schar. And the VAR official that night? Bolton's very own Lee Mason who has been stood down from refereeing duty this weekend through 'injury'.

There was also a big question mark over the role of the referees and VAR in West Brom's draw with Man United after striker Mbaye Diagne "mauled" Red Devils defender Victor Lindelof in commentator Gary Neville's words yet VAR Jonathan Moss, Sunderland supporting ref whose club Big Sam saved in 2016, didn't disallow it despite a clear foul.

Little wonder that Allardyce isn't an advocate of referees and VARS having to explain their decisions despite it being very successfully used in other sports like rugby. He prefers the cloak and dagger nature of the PGMOL's current refereeing regime.

By hook - or crook - Allardyce has mustered five points in his last 4 games to give The Baggies a fighting chance of survival and if there's any dodgy refereeing decisions in a game Allardyce regards as a must-win then higher authorities than The Premier League must follow the money trail and look closely at who would benefit from a Newcastle relegation with the club also currently in legal arbitration with the Premier League:

Asked if it was a "must-win" game, Allardyce said:

"Yes, because if we beat Newcastle then we are only six points away from them. If we lose we’re 12 points away,”
“Which makes that as big a task as anybody’s achieved to try and stay in the Premier League with the amount of games left. It can still be done mathematically, but it would make life extremely difficult. That’s how big this one is.”

Allardyce also bemoaned the fact that West Brom played Thursday night and face Newcastle on Sunday at noon and won't have the proper time to rest and recover from the Everton game but that shouldn't be a problem for Newcastle who are using having a rare week free of games to rest and recover so should have the advantage of freshness when the sides meet.

In Steve Bruce's much-anticipated presser following RitchieGate, he described suggestions his side don't train enough as "laughable" based on the ludicrous schedule of games and training this week and these quotes are among the highlights:

"Look, there's no denying that I've had a row with Matt Ritchie, but let me tell you that happens up and down training grounds every other week.
Whatever happens here, I try to keep it under wraps. We'll have a conversation.
The disappointing thing for me personally, and the club, is that unfortunately the so-called journalist has got a source. Fair enough, but to try and derail us and cause all this noise before a big game, we could do without it.
Is it a must win? We would like to win. I don’t think you can put it as a must win. You know, talking about a tough week and all the rest of it and I’ve had a row with a player...
“Look, we have to remain focused and getting on with the job in hand which is now West Brom on Sunday, can we go there and get result? Yes it would be great if we can and we will do our best and I will make sure we do.”

The outcome of the game and season is very much in Newcastle's hands despite everything as long as there is a level playing field on the pitch unlike in 2015/6 when the club paid the price for bad refereeing decisions throughout:

Newcastl will derive confidence from having beaten West Brom in December at St James' Park and almost exactly a year ago, Steve Bruce's Newcastle went to West Brom and won 3-2 in The FA Cup so know they have their measure both home and away on the pitch although the return of Allardyce, sacked as Newcastle manager in 2007 and who claims he turned the Newcastle job down before Bruce was appointed, adds spice .

Back in goal for the second match since his recall, Martin Dubravka's confidence should increase giving Newcastle that extra stability between the sticks his presence provides, Emil Krafth has been training again after he suffered an injury last week although Jacob Murphy could be in line for a recall after looking lively when he came on on Sunday night's game and provided that cross for Gayle in the win against West Brom but the rest of the team could be unchanged apart from the forced forward injuries.

With news that Mike Ashley is doing everything he can to push through the Saudi takeover, Craig has been banned but Hope is still alive on Tyneside and three huge points against West Brom on Sunday will keep the Good Ship Newcastle afloat.

Prediction - Newcastle 2 West Bromwich 1

Potential Line-Ups: