Newcastle v Chelsea. Match Preview
Chelsea will be bidding to bounce back from successive Premier League defeats when they travel to an in-form Newcastle United side in Saturday’s late start.
A four-game winless run in the league has seen the Blues drop down into seventh spot in the table, but Newcastle are up in third, with the Magpies picking up 27 points from their opening 14 matches.
MATCH PREVIEW
Newcastle will be expecting to challenge for the biggest prizes in European football in the future, with their recent takeover making them one of the wealthiest clubs on the planet, but not many would have predicted how well they would start this season.
A record of seven wins, six draws and one defeat has seen Eddie Howe’s side collect 27 points from their 14 Premier League games, which has left them in third position in the table.
Newcastle are one point ahead of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and four clear of fifth-placed Manchester United, albeit with the Red Devils having a game in hand.
Chelsea, meanwhile, were also in EFL Cup action on Wednesday evening, suffering a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City to exit the competition in the third round.
Graham Potter has managed to lead the Blues into the knockout round of the Champions League, with the capital giants finishing top of Group E ahead of AC Milan, boasting a record of 13 points from six matches.
However, Chelsea’s recent league form has been disappointing, picking up just two points from their last four matches, losing their last two against Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal.
TEAM NEWS
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; S Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Joelinton, Wilson, Almiron
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, T Silva, Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic; Sterling, Havertz, Mount; Aubameyang
PREDICTION
Our prediction is: Full time Draw @3.26
In previous seasons, we would be tipping Chelsea to win this, but it is so difficult to back against Newcastle at the moment, while the visitors will not enter this match in the best of form. Both managers would be relatively pleased with a point on Saturday, and we can see the spoils being shared at St James’ Park.
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