Newcastle United and Chelsea will be looking to return to winning ways and climb the Premier League table when they do battle at St James' Park on Saturday afternoon.
While the Magpies sit seventh in the table with 20 points from 12 matches, the Blues find themselves four places and four points further back in 10th spot.
Match preview
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Newcastle were unable to enter the international break on a high as they saw their seven-game unbeaten league run brought to an end by Eddie Howe's former side Bournemouth two weeks ago.
Just four days after losing 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, a depleted Magpies squad were beaten by the same scoreline away against the Cherries courtesy of a second-half brace from Dominic Solanke.
Injuries have slightly derailed Newcastle's campaign, but the international break arguably came at a decent time for Howe's men to reset and allow some first-team stars to build up their fitness ahead of a challenging run of fixtures in the coming weeks.
Sitting six points adrift of the top four in the Premier League and also bottom of their Champions League group, Newcastle's clash with Chelsea on Saturday will be followed by meetings with Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan – four of which are on home soil.
Newcastle will welcome a return to St James' Park where they have won each of their last four Premier League home games without reply, beating three London clubs – Brentford, Crystal Palace and Arsenal – in the process; not since February 1907 have the Magpies won five top-flight home games in a row without conceding a goal.
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In contrast to Newcastle, Chelsea headed into the international break in buoyant mood after claiming four valuable points in back-to-back fixtures against former Premier League leaders Tottenham Hotspur and current table-toppers Manchester City.
After beating a nine-man Spurs outfit 4-1 in a chaotic contest in North London, the Blues shared the spoils with Man City following an enthralling 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge, with ex-Citizens man Cole Palmer grabbing the headlines after cooly netting a 95th-minute penalty to salvage a point.
Despite winning only four of their opening 12 Premier League fixtures, Mauricio Pochettino's side have shown signs of promise in recent months, as they have only lost one of their last eight games across all competitions, while they have also looked a greater threat in the final third as they have scored 20 goals in the same period, after netting just seven in as many matches at the start of the campaign.
Building a consistent run of form will be one of Pochettino's main aims in the coming weeks if his side wish to climb towards the European positions; Chelsea have only claimed back-to-back Premier League wins twice over a 42-game period dating back to October 2022, doing so in March and October of this year.
Success on Saturday could prove challenging, though, as Chelsea have lost 13 Premier League away games at Newcastle; the Blues have only lost more on the road to Arsenal and Liverpool (15 each) in the division. Chelsea suffered a slender 1-0 defeat at St James' Park last season, but it is worth noting that nine of the 11 players who started that match have since departed the club.
Team News
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Newcastle's lengthy injury list includes Sven Botman (knee), Callum Wilson, Matt Targett (both hamstring), Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson (both back), Harvey Barnes (foot), Jacob Murphy (shoulder) and Javi Manquillo (groin), while Sandro Tonali is suspended and Lewis Hall is ineligible to face his parent club Chelsea.
Alexander Isak (groin) and Sean Longstaff (ankle) are both doubtful, but Miguel Almiron (thigh) and Fabian Schar (hamstring) are fit to return this weekend, while Bruno Guimaraes is available after serving a one-match ban last time out.
Kieran Trippier withdrew from England duty earlier this week for personal reasons, but the defender – who has started every Premier League game for Newcastle since the start of last season – is available to play on Saturday, potentially joining Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and ex-Chelsea man Valentino Livramento in the back four.
As for Chelsea, Ben Chilwell (hamstring), Wesley Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka (both knee) and Trevoh Chalobah (thigh) all remain sidelined with injuries, while Saturday's game will come too soon for Christopher Nkunku (knee) and Romeo Lavia (ankle) even though the duo returned to training this week.
Levi Colwill (shoulder) and Malo Gusto (knee) have also taken part in training, and while the former is fit to return to the matchday squad, the latter will be assessed ahead of kickoff; Conor Gallagher, meanwhile, should have shaken off an ankle knock come Saturday to start in midfield alongside Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling have all scored in two of Chelsea's last three games, and the attacking trio are all set to retain their places in the front three, although Mykhaylo Mudryk will be hoping to force his way back into the first XI.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Lascelles, Schar, Livramento; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, Gordon, Joelinton
Chelsea possible starting lineup:
Sanchez; James, Disasi, Silva, Cucurella; Fernandez, Caicedo, Gallagher; Palmer, Jackson, Sterling
We say: Newcastle United 1-1 Chelsea
Following two manic goal-laden contests against Spurs and Man City, Chelsea may expect a tighter affair against Newcastle considering that only two goals or less have been scored in seven of the last eight meetings between the two clubs.
Victory for either side would provide a significant confidence boost heading into the festive period, but if Newcastle are strengthened by a few stars returning from injury, the hosts should do enough to claim a share of the spoils in front of a fired-up St James' Park.
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Top tip
Oliver Thomas
