Chelsea have the opportunity to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points when they visit Newcastle United on Saturday lunchtime.
The Blues have a rejuvenated Manchester City on their tails, but can strike first this weekend ahead of the champions' evening kickoff against Everton.
Jose Mourinho's side maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, and did so without top scorer Diego Costa.
Back-up strikers Didier Drogba and Loic Remy were both among the goals as Chelsea extended their Stamford Bridge stranglehold on their London rivals to 25 years.
Costa returns from suspension and should start the trip to St James' Park, but the visitors will be without another vital cog in their machine after Nemanja Matic picked up a fifth yellow card of the season.
The vastly experienced John Obi Mikel is the favourite to replace Matic, with Ramires still sidelined. Gary Cahill came off at half time against Spurs with a head injury, but has been cleared for action on Tyneside.
Ten players have started all of Chelsea's four games since the international break, but Mourinho will resist rotating his squad until the redundant Champions League tie with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew welcomes back Moussa Sissoko and Jack Colback from their own bans, but his 10-strong list of first-team absentees is longer than most of his Premier League managerial counterparts.
The likes of Siem de Jong, Davide Santon, Gabriel Obertan, Ryan Taylor and Tim Krul have been joined on the sidelines by Sammy Ameobi, who limped off in the 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday.
Captain Fabricio Coloccini and Rolando Aarons are nearing returns, but Mike Williamson is a fresh injury concern and therefore Steven Taylor should step in alongside Paul Dummett in central defence.
Pardew will attempt to again find room in his team for forward pair Ayoze Perez and Papiss Cisse, who justified his recall to the starting lineup with the Magpies' second-half equaliser against the Clarets.
Young midfielder Mehdi Abeid could be one of those sacrificed for the first game of a less-than-festive run of fixtures which sees United face Arsenal, Manchester United, Sunderland and Everton over Christmas.
How they fare against the Premier League big boys will test the mettle of a Newcastle side who have slipped to ninth in the table following a draw and a loss which brought to an end their five-match winning streak.
Remy scored for the Magpies in this fixture last term to earn them a second straight home win over his new club.
Newcastle:
Form in Premier League: WWWWLD
Form in all competitions: WWWWLD
Possible starting lineup: Elliot; Janmaat, Taylor, Dummett, Haidara; Colback, Tiote; Gouffran, Sissoko, Perez; Cisse
Chelsea:
Form in Premier League: DWWWDW
Form in all competitions: DWWWDW
Possible starting lineup: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Fabregas; Hazard, Oscar, Willian; Costa
Sports Mole says: 0-2
Joe Fish
