
Chelsea will welcome Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Monday night.
Having endured a dire campaign last term, the Blues spent big last summer to reinforce their squad. They even appointed Mauricio Pochettino as the new manager to turn their fortune around, but things haven’t improved much.
The Blues are currently 11th in the table with 36 points from 26 games. They are nowhere near the Champions League spots and are unlikely to be able to qualify for Europe next season either.
Pochettino managed to guide Chelsea to the final of the Carabao Cup final but they were eventually defeated by Liverpool in the final. They are still in the FA Cup and this could be a pathway for them to qualify for Europe should they win it. The Blues will face off against Leicester City in the quarter-final of the FA Cup and fans with Chelsea tickets will hope the club can go all the way to salvage something from another poor season.
On the other hand, after enjoying a stellar campaign last term, Newcastle United have found it difficult to continue performing at their best this campaign. The Magpies are currently eighth in the league with 40 points from 27 games.
They managed to qualify for the Champions League this season but were drawn into the group of death and were knocked out of Europe after finishing at the bottom of their group.
Previous meetings
Chelsea were thrashed by Newcastle in the reverse fixture when these two sides previously met in the Premier League at St. James’ Park. However, the Blues defeated Eddie Howe’s side in the Carabao Cup earlier this season which was played at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have a great record against Newcastle at home in the Premier League as they are unbeaten since 2012, winning nine out of the last 10 games.
How to watch
The game will kick off at 8 PM UK time and the match will be televised live on Sky Sports in the UK.
Team news
Chelsea have struggled with injury problems this season and they will be without several of their key players in this encounter. Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia and Reece James are all out injured so they aren’t in contention to feature.
Christopher Nkunku and Ben Chilwell have struggled to stay fit this season and they have sustained new problems so Pochettino will be without the duo as well.
As for Newcastle, they have also struggled with injury problems this season but they have managed to overcome that issue somewhat at the moment. However, they are still without several of their key players ahead of this game.
Joelinton, Nick Pope and Callum Willson are all out injured at the moment. In addition, Kieran Trippier sustained an injury last time out and as a result, he isn’t available for selection in this encounter. Sandro Tonali has been suspended for several months having been found guilty of breaching the betting rules and his season is over.
Predicted line-up
Pochettino is set to deploy his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Dorde Petrovic set to be in goal for the hosts. Thiago Silva and Axel Disasi might commence at the back, while Malo Gusto and Trevoh Chalobah could be the two fullbacks.
Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are likely to be in the engine room for Chelsea with Conor Gallagher expected to start in the attacking midfield position. Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer should be on the flanks for Pochettino’s side, while Nicolas Jackson could lead the line on Monday.
Expected Chelsea line-up vs Newcastle United
Petrovic; Chalobah, Disasi, Silva, Gusto; Caicedo, Fernández, Gallagher; Sterling, Palmer, Jackson
As for Newcastle, Howe should field his team in his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Martin Dubravka is likely to be between the sticks for the visitors, while Fabian Schar and Sven Botman could be the centre-back pairing. Valentino Livramento could commence in the right-back position amid Trippier’s absence, while Dan Burn might be on the opposite side.
Bruno Guimaraes is set to be deployed in the deep-lying playmaker position with Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff expected to complete the midfield trio.
Anthony Gordon might start on the left flank with Miguel Almirón on the opposite side. Alexander Isak is expected to lead the line for the Magpies in this crucial encounter.
Expected Newcastle line-up vs Chelsea
Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Botman, Burn; Willock, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Gordon, Isak, Almirón
Key players
Jackson is the centre-forward for Chelsea however, Palmer has taken over the responsibility of scoring goals consistently this season having joined the club from Manchester City last summer. He has managed to put his name on the score-sheet 10 times and has registered seven assists in 23 league appearances.
So, the West London club will be hoping that the Englishman will be able to help his side come away with all three points from this encounter by performing at his best.
Sterling started the season promisingly but has failed to showcase his best in recent times. The Englishman is one of the most experienced players in Chelsea’s young squad so he will need to take extra responsibility to guide his team to victory on Monday.
For Newcastle, Gordon has enjoyed a stellar campaign this term after starting his life at St. James’ Park slowly. He has been one of the few players – who has managed to remain injury-free this season. So, the former Everton man will be hoping to help his side come away with all three points from this encounter by putting his name on the score-sheet.
Isak is Newcastle’s top-scorer in the Premier League so Chelsea will have to keep the Swedish man quiet to keep a clean-sheet and win this encounter.
Newcastle’s centre-backs are key weapons for Howe in the opposition box during the set-piece situations. So, the onus will be on Schar and Botman to keep the opposition attack at bay and also make their mark going forward. Burn is also a lethal weapon for the visitors in this regard so Chelsea will have to find a solution to stop them.
Prediction
Chelsea have won only once out of the last five league games, while Newcastle have an awful record away from home this season. So, both teams have had a tough time so far this term and therefore, it is a bit tough to predict how the game will pan out.
The Blues have showcased that they have the tendency to pop up with some impressive results from time to time, so they might end up on top in this game. However, Newcastle won’t go down without fighting and therefore, the match could finish in a stalemate. However, it is going to be interesting to see how the game eventually unfolds. Chelsea 2-2 Newcastle United
