West Ham United will meet Newcastle United on Tyneside to kick off the last phase of Premier League action, with the term's final international break now concluded.
David Moyes' side are seventh in the standings but are trailed by a host of heel-snapping rivals who wish to usurp their hold on European qualification, with Newcastle very much in that mix, four points behind with a game in hand.
Injuries might have ravaged the Magpies but West Ham certainly have their own issues to deal with. Edson Alvarez is suspended and Mohammed Kudus appears to have picked up a knock with Ghana, so some shuffling will be necessary at St. James' Park.
Why Edson Alvarez is so important
Alvarez signed for West Ham from Ajax in a £35m transfer last summer with the impossible task of replacing Declan Rice. Despite this, his tough-tackling and commanding performances have led The Athletic's Roshane Thomas to describe him as West Ham's "best summer signing."
His loss is big. Very big. Across the four Premier League matches he has not featured in this term, the Hammers have failed to win, drawing twice and losing twice.
As per Sofascore, the Mexican has completed 86% of his passes in the top flight this season, also averaging 2.6 tackles. 5.5 ball recoveries, 2.5 clearances and 4.9 successful duels per game.
No one offers the qualities he brings to the same table, not in the same way, not with the same prowess and steel. Kalvin Phillips was brought in to add some depth and mettle to the engine room, but he has quite remarkably struggled to succeed thus far.
vs Bournemouth (H)
1-1 draw
4/10
vs Manchester United (A)
3-0 loss
4/10
vs Arsenal (H)
6-0 loss
4/10
vs Nottingham Forest (A)
2-0 loss
3/10
vs Everton (A)
3-1 win
6/10
vs Burnley (H)
2-2 draw
3/10
As you can see above, he's not exactly been great across his Premier League appearances in a United shirt. Mistakes, lack of movement and rustiness have been prominent parts of a stuttering season for the England international, who has almost certainly lost his Three Lions' place ahead of the summer's European Championship.
He's won just 40% of his ground duels and averaged 1.1 tackles, 2.8 recoveries and 0.4 clearances per fixture in the Premier League this season too. Compared to Alvarez, it's pretty dire, accentuating his motionless efforts.
So then. Who should replace him? Indirectly, Ben Johnson's the man.
Why Ben Johnson must be unleashed vs Newcastle
At the risk of things getting a touch convoluted, 5 foot 9 Johnson must be chosen for a starting berth ahead of Phillips this afternoon, with the versatile wideman earning a place in the line-up as a knock-on from Kudus' likely absence.
With Kudus, lightning-sharp down the wing, missing out on his nation's recent matches with a shoulder injury sustained against Aston Villa, he may well start from the bench, meaning usual full-back Johnson could make his third display of the campaign further up the pitch, having started just four times in the Premier League in total.
Admittedly, these appearances both came during chastening defeats against Manchester United and Arsenal in February, but he produced a particularly eye-catching performance against the Red Devils, completing 94% of his passes, winning five ground duels and taking three shots, as per Sofascore.
Unleashing the fleet-footed Johnson, who has been described as a "wonderful professional" by Stuart Pearce, would hand West Ham a semblance of the style that Kudus brings, with James Ward-Prowse coming in to partner Tomas Soucek in the centre of the park, Lucas Paqueta assuming the No. 10 spot.
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It's not ideal, but West Ham have weathered harsher storms and will be buoyed by the emphatic advance to the Europa League quarter-finals before the break, also well worth their money during a recent Premier League draw against Aston Villa.
It's not quite crunch time, but the stakes have been raised and Moyes will need to ensure he gets team selection right at this crucial stage.
