Newcastle United are due to make the trip to the Stamford Bridge to lock horns with Chelsea in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday.
The Magpies have collected just two points from their last four league outings, and were beaten 20- by Manchester United in their last league game.
Rafa Benitez’s side have gathered 16 points so far this season and just two points above the relegation spots at the moment.
Playing Chelsea away from home will be a tough assignment for the side and if they can get anything from the game, it would be seen a positive result.
Newcastle United Team News
Karl Darlow is set to miss the game through injury, while Mohamed Diame and Federico Fernandez are also doubtful, having missed the FA Cup third round fixture against Blackburn Rovers.
South Korean international Ki Sung-Yeung is on national duty in the Asian Cup and is unavailable. Paul Dummett and Jonjo Shelvey left for Barcelona to recover from their injuries and their availability this weekend is a doubt as well.
Predicted Newcastle United Lineup
Defence
Martin Dubravka is expected to start the bar as usual and he is likely to have a busy game against the Blues.
Fabian Schar, Jamaal Lascelles and Florian Lejeune might complete Newcastle United’s three-man rearguard.
Lascelles has been lacklustre of late but has managed to make 1.1 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 6.6 clearances per game on an average, and needs to have a good game come Saturday.
Javier Manquillo could get the nod to start in the left wing-back role and he needs to ensure the Chelsea wide players don’t get the space to work with. DeAndre Yedlin is likely to start in right wing-back position.
Midfield
Due to the likelihood of Shelvey and Diame’s absence, Isaac Hayden might get a start in the central midfield position and play the anchoring role. Hayden has just four league starts so far this season in the Premier League and will need to keep his focus as Chelsea are expected to dominate possession.
Christian Atsu is likely to start on the left against his former club. The 27-year old threatened a few times against Manchester United and the away fans will hope he can be more consistent. Matt Ritchie should start on the opposite side.
Attack
Ayoze Perez could start as the central attacking midfielder. Salomon Rondon is the most likely candidate to start up front. The Venezuelan has scored five goals from 15 league appearances so far this season.
Statistics Credits: Whoscored