Newport County vs West Ham United Predictions

Many League Two teams probably wouldn’t fancy themselves ahead of a game against top-tier opposition, but Newport have delivered several impressive cup performances against top teams over the last few seasons, so Michael Flynn’s men may be feeling confident ahead of Tuesday’s clash.

Newport delivered a typically astute defensive performance to get the better of Crewe at the weekend, as they won by a goal to nil at this venue. That performance typified what Flynn’s men are all about; they’re disciplined, well-organised and extremely tough to break down, while they’re also a very useful counter-attacking side.

They may be a League Two team, but in recent years, Newport have drawn with Tottenham (FA Cup), while they’ve also beaten both Middlesbrough and Leicester City (FA Cup). They even got on the score-sheet against giants Manchester City, so Tuesday’s hosts certainly won’t show any fear against West Ham on Tuesday evening.

West Ham have made a relatively decent start to the campaign. They were battered by Man City on day one, but there’s no shame in that, while they’ve since gone two games unbeaten, and come into this fixture off the back of an excellent attacking performance away against Watford.

Not only did the Hammers cause Premier League opposition lots of problems on Saturday, but they made light work of scoring goals against lower-level teams in this competition last season. During the first round, they notched three goals away against AFC Wimbledon, who ply their trade in the division above Newport, while they scored a whopping eight goals against League Two Macclesfield after that.

In the betting, ‘West Ham to Score Over 2.5 Goals’ stands out. Newport have made a name for themselves as a side that frustrates big teams in cup competitions over the last few seasons, though it’s worth noting that Michael Flynn made a point of saying that this competition wasn’t a priority ahead of the last round, where the Ironsides scraped through on penalties against Gillingham. Add in the fact that West Ham, who were in fine attacking form on Saturday, made light work of scoring goals against League One and Two teams last term and backing the visitors to deliver another strong attacking performances appeals.