When Chelsea travels to Newcastle this Saturday afternoon, they will be looking to maintain their recent winning streak.
Before the international break, the Blues defeated Tottenham 4-1 and then brilliantly salvaged a late point in an eight-goal thriller against Manchester City.
In order to move up the Premier League league in the lead-up to Christmas, Mauricio Pochettino’s team must now maintain their current pace.
They play Eddie Howe’s Toon, who have been having trouble keeping up with their hectic schedule. They recently lost 2-0 to Bournemouth after falling to Borussia Dortmund twice in a row.
Newcastle vs. Chelsea: Differing trends
Newcastle is starting to show signs of weariness as they enter this match coming off two straight losses across all competitions.
This season, the Magpies are participating in both domestic and Champions League competitions, and the team is feeling the effects of playing more games.
Howe’s team has been decimated by injuries, and as a result, earlier this month, Dortmund and Bournemouth both defeated a diminished team 2-0.
Chelsea, on the other hand, has scored eight goals in their last two games, defeating Tottenham 4-1 and tying Man City 4-4.
The Blues are clicking under Pochettino, and they seem to have found their shooting form.
And since both sides are playing at radically different levels of confidence, this might be the ideal time for them to face Newcastle.
Chelsea vs. Newcastle: Team news
Newcastle has been dealing with a serious injury situation as several important players are sidelined.
With a hamstring injury, Callum Wilson is now sidelined along with Elliott Anderson, Matt Targett, Sven Botman, Jacob Murphy, Dan Burn, and Harvey Barnes.
They might, however, benefit ahead of this match as Alexander Isak hopes to make a comeback from his groyne issue.
In addition, Bruno Guimaraes will return following his suspension against Bournemouth; however, Lewis Hall will not be available for action.
Chelsea’s injury list is at last beginning to grow smaller.
Despite this, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Wesley Fofana are still sidelined.
Malo Gusto and Levi Colwill have withdrawn from their international squads because of minor knocks, although they are still participating fully in training.
Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are getting closer to releasing their first films.
What has been stated about Chelsea vs. Newcastle?
Reece James, the captain of Chelsea, has returned from yet another injury in recent weeks and appears to be fully recovered.
James stated, “There are times you feel things, but all you want to do is play,” in an interview with the Blues website.
When you press further, you understand something has occurred. My body was warning me, but I ignored it. I now know that I should slow down a little when something is screaming.
