At a glance
- Anthony Gordon could be back in starting XI
- Two standouts expected to keep their place
- Result puts Newcastle in European race
Newcastle United travel to the capital on Saturday (March 14th) as they face Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea. Enzo Maresca was in charge of the Blues when the two met at St James’ Park in December, where they drew 2-2.
Nick Woltemade scored a brace in the previous fixture, and that was the last time he was on the scoresheet in the Premier League. Reece James and Joao Pedro were the two goal scorers for the visitors as they came from behind.
Eddie Howe will hope his side can claim three points away from home to help push them up the table. While Chelsea have only won one of their last four in the Premier League, the Magpies haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since 2011.
Newcastle team news
Anthony Gordon was named amongst the substitutes for the Newcastle game with Barcelona in midweek due to illness. He came on in a 1-1 at home to the Spanish giants.
Howe believes the English winger could feature this weekend and confirmed he had trained before the game. Tino Livramento could well return to the starting XI against Chelsea, with a small cameo against Barcelona after suffering a hamstring injury back in January.
One player who the club won’t be able to call on is their captain, Bruno Guimaraes. He is expected to travel with the team to their second leg at the Camp Nou, but he is not expected to return until after the international break.
Newcastle will also be without Emil Krafth (knee), Fabian Schar (ankle) and Lewis Miley (leg), but the 19-year-old may return next week. Those are the players of whom Howe will be without at Stamford Bridge.
Expected XI
Following Nick Pope’s blunder against Everton, Aaron Ramsdale has started the last three games, and it would be expected for him to remain in between the sticks. With Livramento back in contention, he could come back into the lineup, which could see Kieran Trippier drop to the bench.
Despite giving away the last-minute penalty with a trip on Lamine Yamal, Malick Thiaw has received a lot of praise for his performances in Black and White, which should keep him in the side.
Lewis Hall and Joelinton put in solid displays against the reigning La Liga champions, which should make them the first names on Howe’s team sheet, with either Woltemade or Yoane Wissa leading the line after missing out on Tuesday.
Newcastle likely lineup: Ramsdale; Livramento, Thiaw, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Joelinton, Ramsey; Elanga, Wissa, Gordon
Prediction
A win for Newcastle could take them inside the top 10 once again, and ahead of their fierce rivals, Sunderland, which could put them in a serious race for European contention.
Just like the Magpies, Chelsea have struggled for consistent results of late, with a 5-2 defeat away at PSG on Wednesday evening, though in their recent Premier League outing, they hammered top-four chasing Aston Villa 4-1 at Villa Park.
This game could go either way, depending on whether the team turns up on the day, yet history tells us that Newcastle find it hard away at The Blues.
Prediction: Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle
