With their title dreams now having gone up in smoke, and a top four finish out of the question, the best Chelsea can now hope for is to secure a spot in the Europa league by winning the FA Cup. But for now, the Blues must turn their attention to not sliding further down the table as they welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea
Despite some improvement under Guus Hiddink, things are still pretty blue for the Blues. They currently lie in 13th place, with their 30 points seeing them just six away from upcoming opponents Newcastle United, who sit in 17th. With just one win in their last five games, Chelsea have picked up a total of seven points from these fixtures, which has done little to help them break into the top ten. In their past two matches, they had to come from behind to salvage a draw - and a point - in stoppage time.
Although they are still unbeaten since Hiddink took over, with nine games so far without a loss, six of those have been stalemates, which equals 12 vital points dropped. The team are yet to string together a winning streak and had to come from behind the last time they faced Newcastle United earlier this season to earn a 2-2 draw.
Curiously enough, if Chelsea can not maintain a clean sheet versus the Magpies, forget about them winning - at least in their past 11 fixtures. In the seven that Newcastle managed to score, Chelsea's record stands at three draws and four losses, but it is important to note that their upcoming opponents have not scored at Stamford Bridge in their last three visits. The last time tomorrow's visitors managed to find the back of the net was on May 2, 2012, when they won 2-0.
The hard-fought draw versus Manchester United came at a high cost as young French defender Kurt Zouma suffered a horrific knee injury that now will cause him to miss six months of action. As such, Gary Cahill will re-claim his position in the starting XI and partner John Terry in defense. Diego Costa, who scored the late equalizer against the Red Devils, will again be tasked with leading the line, and his coach will hope that the Brazilian-born Spanish international will be able to maintain his hot streak in front of goal, which has seen him score seven goals in his last nine games.
Other absentees for Hiddink will continue to be both Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao, and new signing Alexandre Pato has not reached the desired fitness levels to be given some game-time in the fast-paced Premier League. With a tough test against a high-flying PSG in the Champions League next week, Hiddink will hope that his side can get the job done and head into that match feeling a bit more confident after a weekend win.
Newcastle United
Meanwhile, Steve McLaren's men will be coming into this match having recorded a much needed win over West Brom to barely stay out of the red zone. With just one point between them and Norwich - who have lost their last five matches - the Magpies will be hoping to defeat Chelsea at home for the first time in nearly four years to put some space between themselves and the bottom three.
Despite Chelsea's woes, it will not be easy for the visitors, who are in the midst of an unfortunate injury crisis. McLaren has quite a selection headache on his hands, which could not come at a worse time for a team battling to avoid relegation.
Papiss Demba Cissé, Tim Krul, Massadio Haidara, Chancel Mbemba, Kevin Mbabu, Vurnon Anita, Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, and Ivan Toney all definitely out. Cissé's absence will be especially felt given his knack for scoring against Chelsea; in his last five meetings, he had netted four times. Jamaal Lascelles will miss out due to a ban, and there are doubts about the availability of Jack Colback, Daryl Janmaat, Paul Dummett, and Siem de Jong.
As such, McLaren will have to scrape together a starting XI and will likely rely on the same group that edged West Brom out 1-0 last weekend.
Which channel is broadcasting Chelsea vs Newcastle United on TV or Online?
After seeing their team claw their way back to a draw in the last few moments of the game, Chelsea fans will be hoping to see a much more confident and overall better performance from the Blues, with a win, naturally, being the most ideal scenario. A loss for the hosts could prove quite costly as they are currently just seven points away from the drop zone but they will be facing a Newcastle side that has been ravaged by injuries, but will still be keen on trying to grind out a positive result at Stamford Bridge.
If you live too far away to see the match live, no worries. LiveSoccerTV.com has plenty of options to catch Chelsea vs Newcastle United via your TV, phone, computer, or tablet.
Here are some options for fans residing elsewhere in the UK and in the following countries:
- In the USA at 12.30 EST on: NBCSN, NBC Sports Live Extra, SiriusXM FC, Westwood One Sports, NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra, NBC UNIVERSO
- In the UK at 17.30 GMT on: Sky Sports 1/HD UK, SKY GO Extra, NOW TV UK, Sky Go UK
- In Canada at 12.30 ET on: Sportsnet One, Sportsnet World Now
Live elsewhere? Check out our special Chelsea vs Newcastle United broadcast page for viewing times and options for your current location.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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