Chelsea could move top of the Premier League table for a few hours at least when they face Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday.

The Blues found some much-needed consistency before the international break, winning four games in a row across all competitions and each by at least a three-goal margin.

As a result, Chelsea sit fifth heading into gameweek nine, just three points off the summit with the joint-best goal difference in the division.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Frank Lampard could set his side up for the trip to Tyneside.

Out: Christian Pulisic (hamstring)
Doubtful: Kai Havertz (coronavirus), Ben Chilwell (back), Thiago Silva (fatigue)

> Click here for Chelsea's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Lampard has confirmed that Saturday's match will come too soon for Christian Pulisic, who has not featured since pulling out of the warm-up for last month's game against Burnley due to a hamstring injury.

The American is Chelsea's only unavailable player due to injury, although summer signings Kai Havertz and Thiago Silva are also expected to miss the trip to St James' Park.

Havertz has now recovered from coronavirus but will focus on building himself back up to match fitness after two weeks in self-isolation, while Thiago Silva only returned to England on Thursday afternoon following his international exploits with Brazil.

There should be better news regarding Ben Chilwell, though; the full-back emerged as a concern with a back problem while away with England, but he was deemed fit enough for the bench against Iceland and Lampard is optimistic that he will be available this weekend.

Antonio Rudiger in for Thiago Silva could be the only change in the Chelsea defence, then, with club captain Cesar Azpilicueta once again having to make do with a place on the bench.

Mateo Kovacic worked his way back into Lampard's starting XI prior to the international break and his brace for Croatia against Portugal will not have done his chances of starting again here any harm at all.

Mason Mount was also on the scoresheet for England during the international break, while in Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech Chelsea had two of the league's most in-form players before the break.

Werner has had a direct hand in nine goals in his last seven appearances across all competitions and could become the first Chelsea player to score in five successive matches since Didier Drogba in November 2009.

Ziyech, meanwhile, began making up for lost time after being made to wait for his full Premier League debut, contributing three assists and a goal of his own on his two top-flight starts to date.

Video prediction

Watch the Sports Mole Football Shorts prediction for this game below: