NEWCASTLE – CHELSEA | Saturday 6.30pm
The six-point lead over Chelsea after fourteen Premier League matches gives the measure of how much Newcastle have grown in the last year. Compared to the recent past it is now the Blues who are chasing the Bianconeri. And they can no longer afford further missteps: yes, it is true, they have played one game less than the third-placed Magpies and the fourth-placed Tottenham, but they are already five lengths behind the Champions League zone. Even more distant are the two teams that are playing for the title, Arsenal and Manchester City: for now, in short, Chelsea is out of the race for the most important objective. Last week it was the third round of the League Cup and the Londoners, last year’s finalists, were eliminated by Pep Guardiola’s Citizens: it was unlikely that with a line-up full of reserves they would have conquered City’s fortress, where the reigning champions have always won in the league.
In the end they managed to limit the damage, losing ‘only’ 2-0 and being able to rest almost all the starters ahead of the delicate match at St James’ Park. However, Graham Potter’s first difficult moment continues after his excellent start on the Blues’ bench. The defeat at the Etihad Stadium was the third in the last four games. Eddie Howe’s team, on the other hand, went through to the League Cup: the penalties were decisive against Crystal Palace, who fought it out until the very last minute, ending the regulations at 0-0. It was a different story in the league, where Newcastle had just won four games in a row – in the previous two rounds they had netted a combined eight goals against Aston Villa and Southampton – and were now third in the table.
Cucurella
The Prediction
The hierarchies seem to have been reversed and it is now Newcastle, who have only lost once in this league, who are slight favourites. Chelsea, however, know that a defeat could complicate their comeback plans and will try to snatch at least a draw. It is likely that the total goals will be at least two.
Newcastle-Chelsea likely line-ups
- NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; S. Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock; Joelinton, Wilson, Almiron.
- CHELSEA (4-2-3-1): Mendy; Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Cucurella; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic; Sterling, Havertz, Mount; Aubameyang.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
