It's the battle of two struggling teams at the Stamford Bridge Stadium on Monday, which of them will come out tops? (Photo credit: GOAL)
Chelsea vs. NewcastleStamford Bridge9:00pm
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| It's the battle of two struggling teams at the Stamford Bridge Stadium on Monday, which of them will come out tops? (Photo credit: GOAL) |
Chelsea’s season is at a point where no one expects anything anymore; all hope lies in their FA Cup journey now, and they only have pride to fight for in the league.
Newcastle fans would place last season side-by-side with this current campaign and wonder where it all went wrong. From having a great defence to shipping tonnes of goals this season and already being out of Champions League conversations,.
Four points separate the two on the log in 10th and 11th, but a win could take Newcastle as high as 7th on the Premier League table with a better goal difference than West Ham, who currently sits in 7th following their hard-fought point at home to Burnley on Sunday.
A Chelsea win doesn’t change anything; they will still be 11th on the log, but that could help with the momentum going into their FA Cup game against Championship side Leicester City next weekend at Stamford Bridge.
The Geordies have won back-to-back games for the first time in a while, albeit on penalties for the FA Cup win over Blackburn Rovers, but they were comprehensive and decisive in their win over Wolves last weekend in the league.
Chelsea cannot relate to that; they needed a late goal to level with Brentford having conceded two quick second-half goals. The point didn’t do them a lot of favours, but it was enough to halt a run of losses to Brentford.
Ben Chilwell is injured again; Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Benoit Badiashile will all be assessed ahead of kickoff to ascertain fitness; but Robert Sanchez and Tiago Silva are both fit and available for selection.
Kevin Trippier and Callum Wilson are injured for Newcastle; Alexander Isak will continue upfront; and Joe Willock is available to help the midfield. Newcastle will try to be disciplined in defense, but they will fancy their chances against a troubled side like Chelsea.
No result will surprise anyone. It’s a game of two teams looking for sunshine in the cold; they both need momentum to end the season; they will both be on FA Cup duties next weekend and hope to remain in it. How will this one end?
Verdict: full-time draw