Venue: St James Park - Newcastle
Kickoff: 13:30
Competition: Barclays Premier League round 15
Newcastle News:
The hosts have had a strange season, often performing better against the more difficult sides, and away from St James' Park. They beat arch rivals Sunderland 5-1 at home but have lost there to the likes of Blackpool, Stoke and Blackburn. Chris Hughton's team did beat a much-changed, ten-man Chelsea team 4-3 in the League Cup at Stamford Bridge despite resting a few players themselves.
Yet they were spanked 5-1 by Bolton at the Reebok last weekend, with the score already 4-1 before Fabricio Coloccini was ordered off the field. An elbow, a head-**** and a punch may sound like the average ladies' night out on the infamous Bigg Market, but such incidents on the playing field have rendered three of Toon's regulars unavailable.
They are missing both centre-backs, Coloccini and Michael Williamson, for different incidents involving the same player, Bolton's Johan Elmander. The pair had been ever-present starters in the league so far. The Magpies are fortunate they have cover in that area. The absences open up the prospect of another outing for Sol Campbell against Chelsea, possibly with Steven Taylor returning to the first team after a long spell recovering from injury.
Campbell played in the Magpies' 4-3 League Cup win at Stamford Bridge and came on as a sub at Bolton, while Taylor last figured in January. They have briefly played together for Newcastle's Reserves. Influential midfielder Joey Barton is also suspended for the last of his three-match ban for clobbering Morten Gamst Pedersen.
Chris Hughton likes to have two holding midfielders and two wide men. He puts either Shola Ameobi or Nile Ranger in alongside impressive top scorer Andy Carroll, or asks Kevin Nolan to tuck in just behind him. Goalie Tim Krul's run in the side started just before our League Cup meeting following Steve Harper's shoulder injury. He has yet to be beaten from outside the box this season in the league.
Chelsea News:
Carlo Ancelotti has Jose Bosingwa available for Sunday's trip to Newcastle but John Terry, Frank Lampard and Yury Zhirkov are still sidelined. Portuguese international Bosingwa is likely to replace Paulo Ferreira at right-back as we look for a first away win in a month, but we will have to do without both the captain and vice-captain for at least another week, while Michael Essien completes his three-match domestic suspension.
Zhirkov's absence with a calf problem suggests Florent Malouda will continue in the three-man midfield alongside Ramires and John Mikel Obi, who was rested for our midweek win over MSK Zilina at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were the only English club to have a nominee in each team category of the Fifa/Fifpro World XI for this year: goalkeeper Petr Cech, defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole, midfielders Michael Essien and Frank Lampard, and forward Didier Drogba. Unfortunately we could again be without several of those big hitters this weekend through suspension for Essien (the last of three) and injury to others. Nicolas Anelka is five goals away from joining Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Frank Lampard in the top ten of all-time Premier League goalscorers. He will depose Dwight Yorke - formerly of Toon's big rivals Sunderland.
It will be interesting to see how Carlo Ancelotti sets his team up for this tricky away trip. Having seen his youngsters do well against Žilina and his available personnel click with two defensive midfielders deployed in that game and also at Birmingham, he may be inclined to start with that system against Newcastle's 4-4-1-1.
Newcastle Stats:
Kickoff: 13:30
Competition: Barclays Premier League round 15
Newcastle News:
The hosts have had a strange season, often performing better against the more difficult sides, and away from St James' Park. They beat arch rivals Sunderland 5-1 at home but have lost there to the likes of Blackpool, Stoke and Blackburn. Chris Hughton's team did beat a much-changed, ten-man Chelsea team 4-3 in the League Cup at Stamford Bridge despite resting a few players themselves.
Yet they were spanked 5-1 by Bolton at the Reebok last weekend, with the score already 4-1 before Fabricio Coloccini was ordered off the field. An elbow, a head-**** and a punch may sound like the average ladies' night out on the infamous Bigg Market, but such incidents on the playing field have rendered three of Toon's regulars unavailable.
They are missing both centre-backs, Coloccini and Michael Williamson, for different incidents involving the same player, Bolton's Johan Elmander. The pair had been ever-present starters in the league so far. The Magpies are fortunate they have cover in that area. The absences open up the prospect of another outing for Sol Campbell against Chelsea, possibly with Steven Taylor returning to the first team after a long spell recovering from injury.
Campbell played in the Magpies' 4-3 League Cup win at Stamford Bridge and came on as a sub at Bolton, while Taylor last figured in January. They have briefly played together for Newcastle's Reserves. Influential midfielder Joey Barton is also suspended for the last of his three-match ban for clobbering Morten Gamst Pedersen.
Chris Hughton likes to have two holding midfielders and two wide men. He puts either Shola Ameobi or Nile Ranger in alongside impressive top scorer Andy Carroll, or asks Kevin Nolan to tuck in just behind him. Goalie Tim Krul's run in the side started just before our League Cup meeting following Steve Harper's shoulder injury. He has yet to be beaten from outside the box this season in the league.
Chelsea News:
Carlo Ancelotti has Jose Bosingwa available for Sunday's trip to Newcastle but John Terry, Frank Lampard and Yury Zhirkov are still sidelined. Portuguese international Bosingwa is likely to replace Paulo Ferreira at right-back as we look for a first away win in a month, but we will have to do without both the captain and vice-captain for at least another week, while Michael Essien completes his three-match domestic suspension.
Zhirkov's absence with a calf problem suggests Florent Malouda will continue in the three-man midfield alongside Ramires and John Mikel Obi, who was rested for our midweek win over MSK Zilina at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea were the only English club to have a nominee in each team category of the Fifa/Fifpro World XI for this year: goalkeeper Petr Cech, defenders John Terry and Ashley Cole, midfielders Michael Essien and Frank Lampard, and forward Didier Drogba. Unfortunately we could again be without several of those big hitters this weekend through suspension for Essien (the last of three) and injury to others. Nicolas Anelka is five goals away from joining Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Frank Lampard in the top ten of all-time Premier League goalscorers. He will depose Dwight Yorke - formerly of Toon's big rivals Sunderland.
It will be interesting to see how Carlo Ancelotti sets his team up for this tricky away trip. Having seen his youngsters do well against Žilina and his available personnel click with two defensive midfielders deployed in that game and also at Birmingham, he may be inclined to start with that system against Newcastle's 4-4-1-1.
Newcastle Stats:
- Only Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal (with 17) have scored more league goals at home than Newcastle's 15
- Newcastle have won more points away from home than at St James' Park this season. Only West Ham have won fewer at home
- This term they have won eight points out of a possible 21 at St James' Park with wins against Aston Villa and Sunderland, draws with Wigan and Fulham and defeats to Blackpool, Stoke and Blackburn
- United have won three away games at Everton, West Ham and Arsenal
- It is 421 games and 11 years since Chelsea last lost three successive Premier League matches (Liverpool away 0-1, Arsenal home 2-3 and Derby away 1-3) in October 1999
- Having failed to score once in the Premier League last season (at Birmingham), we have failed to notch a goal in five of our last nine games
- Michael Essien's header against Fulham is our only goal in over six hours of Barclays Premier League football
- Chelsea have scored the most goals (28) with Man Utd and Arsenal and conceded the fewest (nine) in the Premier League this term
- Chelsea have gone 22 games since a score draw, the longest run in the Premier League
- Chelsea are unbeaten in our last 57 games against newly promoted teams, with 50 wins and seven draws
