Newcastle approached the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Nick Pope behind a defense of Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw and Lewis Hall. The midfield was anchored by Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, while Jacob Ramsey operated behind an attacking unit featuring Harvey Barnes, Nick Woltemade and striker William Osula.
Millwall and West Ham have hated each other since Queen Victoria sat on the British throne and Australia was still a collection of English colonies. Their clashes have taken violence in football to new level for more than a century as they transformed from dockworkers' brawls over strikes and betrayals to rival "firms" spilling blood on the streets.