Round nine of the Premier League season continues on Saturday as the campaign slowly creeps into the midway point
Saturday afternoon will see several fixtures being played simultaneously with the match between Chelsea and Newcastle United being a part of that.
These are two sides with similar goals for the season as UEFA Champions League football will be high on their list of objectives this year. In all likelihood, these two teams will be close rivals on the league table for the majority of the season.
At Stamford Bridge, home advantage will see Enzo Marescaโs Blues be the favorites to win the match and will have to impose themselves from the start of the game with their style of play. It will not be an easy task for them against a side as tough as Newcastle United but these are the games they need to win to show the rest of the league as well as their fans that they mean business this year.
The pressure is really on for the Italian manager who has been tasked with steering this young and talented team to glory but the journey starts from a base of consistency and trust. Chelsea managed to finish sixth last season but the previous manager lost his job, so the benchmark for success is pretty high.
The manager knows that the first step to success for his new club will be consistency and cohesion and he believes that creating such a culture throughout the club will help improve performances and aid the player’s development.
In his first interview with the club, he said: โOne of the reasons Iโm here is because Iโm convinced the squad is very good and full of talent. The most important thing now is weโre able to create the right culture that drives us for the season.
โI always say the same: if you can improve players then you can improve the team. So itโs our target to try to improve all of them day by day.
โIt’s the main point because when you join a club like Chelsea, you know that itโs a club that has to win. So for us, we are going to try our best to be there, to fight and compete with the clubs that at this moment are winning and fighting to win titles.โ
One of the first steps they have to take is improving their home form. Last season, they were able to win 11, draw four and lose four of their 19 matches at the Bridge. While this is not a bad home record, their points tally had them at 7th in the division. If they want to move into the top four spots, they will need to do even better.
On the flip side, Eddie Howeโs men know that the task ahead of them on Saturday afternoon will not be an easy one but they will not be afraid to fight for all three points at the Bridge.
Newcastleโs form away from home was not the greatest and their inability to pick up points on the road was a major reason behind their fall off the top six places. They could only manage six wins on their travels last season and their points tally (20 points) saw them ranked in the bottom half of the Premier League at 11th place.
Like Chelsea, Newcastle are also in the hunt for the top four places and the Geordie side will also want to have a strong cup run to give the club its first trophy in the new era under Eddie Howe.
โFor me, as long as I am happy and feel supported and feel free to do the work that I love to do at Newcastle, Iโll be very happy โ and I am very happy,โ said the Englishman.
โIโm honoured and privileged to be manager of Newcastle. I hope that is for many, many years. I am determined to win a trophy for the football club โ that is in my psyche every day.โ
The last time these two teams faced, it was a classic affair with Chelsea winning the match 3-2.
Match Tickets
Chelsea vs Newcastle tickets can be found online for fans looking to purchase. As usual, a sold-out crowd is expected at Stamford Bridge for their third home game of the new season. Chelsea fans will be up for the visit of the Seagulls and will be expecting their team to come away with all three points.
The game will be played at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 26th of October at 3:00 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom where Sky Sportsโ coverage reaches will be able to enjoy the game at that time.
The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the leagueโs broadcast partners in their province for the game.
Team news
Chelsea will hope to secure three points in this tough fixture and they will need their full-strength squad to do so. The advantage of a squad as big as Chelseaโs is the healthy competition for places in the team as well as the chance for the manager to make changes to the lineup depending on the opposition.ย Chelsea have both of these options with the quality on their side and they will be looking to use it against Newcastle on Saturday.
The away side will be at Stamford Bridge with a clean bill of health also as they seek to leave London with a win.
Lineups
Chelseaโs starting lineup will feature a 4-3-3 formation with Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling playing either side of Nicholas Jackson up front while Tosin Adarabioyo and Levi Colwill will make the central defensive partnership.
Chelsea: Sanchez; Gusto, Adarabioyo, Veiga, Chilwell, Enzo, Caicedo, Dewsbury-Hall, Palmer, Sancho, Jackson.
Newcastle will also play with their very best players to get all three points in this much.
Newcastle United: Pope; Trippier, Sachar, Krafth, Hall, Guimaraes, Longstaff, Joelinton, Barnes, Gordon, Isak.
Prediction
The Blues will know that Newcastle will bring the intensity and energy on and off the ball for the full 90 minutes so they will be careful not to allow their opponents to gather any momentum during the match.
Being calm under pressure will be important against the energy and physicality of Newcastle but it will be difficult to keep that composure for the entire game.
It will be a high-quality, fast-paced affair and there will be goals in this match.
Prediction: Chelsea 3-2 Newcastle United