Newcastle United will be looking for their fifth consecutive Premier League win when they welcome Chelsea to St. James’ Park in Saturday’s late kick-off.
Thanks to their impressive form, the high-flying Magpies sit third in the table – five points shy of second-place Manchester City and seven points behind first-place Arsenal.
🔝🗑️ pic.twitter.com/hbmOyfEOoX— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) November 10, 2022
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As for Chelsea, they find themselves seventh – five points outside the top four and six points behind Newcastle. Can Graham Potter’s side close the gap this weekend?
Not only have Newcastle won each of their last four Premier League games, but they have also won six of their previous seven.
When you look at the bigger picture, Eddie Howe’s men have lost just one of their 14 league outings this season – claiming seven wins and six draws in the process.
Better still, the Magpies boast the joint-best defensive record (11) AND the third-best offensive record (28) in the division.
Given that Newcastle have kept a clean sheet in each of their past three home games across all competitions, they will be confident of keeping Chelsea quiet.
Meanwhile, the Blues head into Saturday’s clash on the back of a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup.
Following last weekend’s defeat to Arsenal, Chelsea have lost each of their last two games – as well as three of their previous four in all competitions.
It is also worth noting that Chelsea have managed to win just two of their previous seven encounters across all competitions.
We all know that Potter is blessed with multiple world-class players throughout his squad, but it could take the new manager time to get things right.
Head-to-head: Not only have Chelsea won each of the last four Premier League meetings between these two sides, but they have also won seven of the previous eight.
Five of the past six league meetings between Newcastle and Chelsea have produced under 2.5 goals, meaning Saturday’s clash is likely to be a low-scoring affair.
Team news: Newcastle’s injury list contains Alexander Isak, Ryan Fraser, Matt Ritchie, Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett.
Chelsea look set to be without several injured players this weekend, including N’Golo Knate, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and Reece James.
Granted, Newcastle are on a roll at the moment. But Chelsea have more than enough quality to frustrate the Magpies.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Newcastle and Chelsea will play out a low-scoring draw at St. James’ Park.