Chelsea vs Newcastle United
Date: 12/01/2019
K.O: 17.30
Venue: Stamford Bridge
TV: BT Sport
Referee Chris Kavanagh
Chelsea play host to a beleaguered Newcastle United side on Saturday evening, with Rafael Benitez’s side winless in their last four.
The only salvation for the visitors is that Chelsea may be disgruntled after a midweek loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup, a tightly fought contest decided by a VAR penalty.
Should Maurizio Sarri’s side overcome their frustrations, they could edge closer to Spurs who sit just one place and four points above them in third.
However, dropping points will close the gap beneath the hosts to Arsenal, who lead the chasing pack in the race for Champions League qualification. Though the Gunners have a significantly weaker goal difference than Chelsea, they sit just three points behind the Blues.
Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the spectrum, Newcastle find their positioning has become increasingly precarious. The Magpies are level on 18 points with Burnley and Cardiff, above only by virtue of their goal difference.
Not only this, but Southampton are now just two points behind, and if Newcastle lose on Saturday as well as other results going against them, they could find themselves in the relegation zone by Monday.
Unless Southampton were to win by a four-goal margin away at Leicester City, a draw would be enough to see Newcastle teeter above the drop zone, at least for another week.
A shock victory over Rafa Benitez’s former employers would not be enough to see the Magpies progress up the table, though it would provide a buffer to relieve the pressure of any future mistakes.
Any opportunities for the visitors may materialise due to Chelsea’s mounting injury list as a result of their fixture congestion. Sarri will have the majority of his first-choice starters, though many of his replacements are currently carrying knocks. Danny Drinkwater, Oliver Giroud, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Pedro and Willian may be fit enough to make an appearance, but not at full strength.
Due to the build-up of fixtures, teenager Callum Hudson-Odoi has made back to back appearances for the Blues creating a significant impression. The youth team product grabbed two assists last weekend in the FA Cup, earning him an appearance in the semi-final of the League Cup at Wembley on Tuesday.
A third successive start for the Englishman may be a step too far. However, Sarri will have to try and convince his promising winger to stay after Bayern Munich have offered a series of bids to take Hudson-Odoi to Germany. A Premier League debut may go a long way to doing just that.
Elsewhere, Alvaro Morata rediscovered the goalscoring form that initially brought him to Stamford Bridge with a brace against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
The Spanish international did, however, produce an appalling miss from close range; the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker has been known to dwell on his wasted opportunities, as opposed to considering the positives of previous performance, so it will be interesting to see how confident he appears against Newcastle.
Upon revisiting the stadium where Rafa Benitez was the interim manager for seven months, he will likely concede the majority of possession to the hosts, meaning Jonjo Shelvey will probably not be named in the starting line-up. Despite being an apparent attacking threat, the central midfielder can be a liability due to lacking defensive discipline meaning Issac Hayden could keep his place alongside Mohamed Diame.
Ki Sung-Yueng remains unavailable to fill in the centre of midfield due to his involvement in the Asian Cup with South Korea while Yoshinori Muto is at the same competition representing Japan.
Predicted Starting XIs
Chelsea (4-3-3): Kepa; Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso; Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic; Willian, Morata, Hazard
Newcastle (4-5-1): Dubravka; Schar, Lascelles, Dummett; Yedlin, Hayden, Diame, Ritchie; Perez, Atsu; Rondon
Prediction: Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0
Despite playing an extra game during the week, the quality of the host’s squad and its depth should comfortably neutralise any offensive threat from Newcastle. Chelsea’s capability to dominate possession and dangerous wide attackers will produce an abundance of opportunities for whoever Sarri decides to play in the centre of attack.
