West Ham United’s clash with Newcastle United on Wednesday night is likely to produce an intriguing battle in midfield between close friends Lucas Paqueta and Bruno Guimaraes.
The Hammers will be looking to build a three point gap to the relegation zone when the Magpies visit the London Stadium. But it will not be easy against Eddie Howe’s men who have surpassed expectations this season as they close in on qualifying for the Champions League next term, with Newcastle currently 3rd in the table with 11 games to play.
Brazilian midfielder Guimaraes has been one of the most influential figures in the Magpies squad since his £40million move from Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in January 2022.
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Whilst at the French club, Guimaraes played in 47 games alongside Paqueta and had hopes his former Lyon teammate would join him on Tyneside after he was repeatedly linked with a move to Newcastle.
Paqueta instead ended up joining the Hammers in a £52.6m deal (including potential add-ons) in the summer. The Brazilians are set to go face to face for the first time as opponents in Wednesday night’s encounter, after Guimaraes missed the clash between the two sides on Tyneside in February due to suspension.
West Ham boss David Moyes cannot recall many occasions during his playing career where he had to play against a close friend, but admitted he found it difficult going up against one of his former Scotland teammates when he was at Celtic.
When Moyes was asked if he ever had to go up against a close friend on the pitch, he said: “Flipping heck. That’s a good question. Have I played against my best mate?
“I don’t have many mates! There was a very young boy, when I first started at Celtic, I used to play against Ally McCoist. I was big friends with Ally at the time because we played for Scotland together and it was pretty difficult.
“Obviously I’ve got friends at other clubs I’ve played against. Not many I can think of.”
Paqueta has struggled to adapt to the Premier League since his arrival, contributing just two goals and two assists in 19 league games. However, the Brazilian played a key part in West Ham’s crucial 1-0 win against relegation rivals Southampton at the weekend.
He has not hit the ground running quite like Guimaraes did at Newcastle just yet, but Moyes has hopes Paqueta will reach the same level at West Ham.
“They’re really, really talented players and bring different things,” said Moyes on the Brazilian duo. “Guimaraes has been a big plus for Newcastle and Paqueta is on his way to doing that for us I hope.”
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