LOOK — Newcastle-Chelsea
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle reached the League Cup semi-finals in midweek by beating Fulham 2-1, but lost 1-0 to bitter rivals Sunderland last weekend and they are in the bottom half of the table. But the nature of the table is so congested that a few wins over the festive period will see Newcastle push towards the European places. They certainly have the quality to do it, but they have lacked a ruthless edge this season.
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Chelsea also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in midweek by beating third-tier Cardiff City, but scrutiny surrounding their manager Enzo Maresca is the topic of conversation at the moment. After his routine home win against Everton last weekend Maresca, totally spontaneous, described the previous days as the “worst 48 hours” of his time at the helm of Chelsea. He said that was because he and his players were not receiving support. But given multiple opportunities in the press, he has not clarified who he is referring to but has said he is happy with the fans. That has opened a can of worms off the pitch and on it Chelsea are eight points off the top of the table after a poor run of results at the beginning of December. They need a positive festive period to get back into the title conversation.
For live updates and highlights from Newcastle vs Chelsea, check out PST’s live blog coverage below.
How to watch Newcastle vs Chelsea live, stream link and start time
start time: 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday (December 20)
Event: St James’s Park — Newcastle
television channel: USA
Transmission: Watch it live on NBC.com
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Newcastle team news, focus
Yoane Wissa has made a long-awaited return from injury and scored in the midweek win against Fulham, which is a huge boost for the Magpies. Goalkeeper Nick Pope remains out while Newcastle are short on defenders with Dan Burn joining Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth on the injured list. We can expect Tonali, Woltemade, Gordon and Elanga to start after being on the bench in the League Cup win against Fulham.
Chelsea team news, focus
The Blues are without Romeo Lavia, Estevao, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo through injury, while Maresca pivoted heavily to win the League Cup in midweek. Cole Palmer scored in the win against Everton last weekend and will start as Chelsea’s entire attacking unit works better when he is in the team.
Newcastle-Chelsea Prediction
This always looks like a tough matchup for Chelsea, but I’m going to give them a big win. Newcastle-Chelsea 1-3.