Chelsea VS Newcastle United
Saturday (02/12/2017)
13:30 (WAT)
The Blues welcome the Magpies to Stamford Bridge as they aim to take steps to retain their title in a busy winter run of fixturesSaturday (02/12/2017)
13:30 (WAT)
Chelsea are on a six-game unbeaten run, but they have plenty of catching up to do as they aim to retain their Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are 11 points clear of the Blues, with Manchester United sitting in second as a weekend clash with newcastle United approaches.
The Magpies, promoted from the Championship last season, started the campaign well, but have not won in five Premier League matches.
CHELSEA INJURIES
Michy Batshuayi remains unlikely to play after suffering an ankle injury while with the Belgium national team. Charly Musonda and Kenedy have also been out with minor injuries sustained in training.
David Luiz's condition is still unclear but it is very unlikely that he will be back to face Newcastle on Saturday. Conte gave a further update on the Brazil international after the Swansea game.
"Now it's very difficult, because he had the liquid in his knee," Conte said at Stamford Bridge. "We have to assess his recovery, the time. But I hope to not lose him for a lot of time, also because we have to play every three days and I need all my players."
Victor Moses has recovered from his hamstring injury and made his first appearance from the bench against Swansea on Tuesday night. He was an unused substitute last weekend against Liverpool.
CHELSEA SUSPENSIONS
Alvaro Morata is now one domestic booking away from a suspension now. Antonio Rudiger is also on four yellow cards, with another set to lead to a one-match ban.
Chelsea have no suspensions for the upcoming match against Newcastle. David Luiz and Marcos Alonso are on three bookings.
The cut-off this season is after 19 league games, so Chelsea players need to avoid accumulating five bookings until they play Everton on December 23, thus to avoid a suspension.
Conte was sent to the stands against Swansea and there is a small chance that the FA will seek further punishment. He did, however, apologise as he was dismissed for complaining about Swansea's time-wasting.
POTENTIAL STARTING LINE-UP
Antonio Conte will likely recall Eden Hazard and Cesar Azpilicueta after leaving them on the bench for Wednesday's match against Swansea City. Tiemoue Bakayoko could also be recalled despite his poor display away at Anfield.
Chelsea are heavily rotating their team every week in order to keep their side fresh as they face a busy winter schedule with an extra fixture squeezed in to finish the season early ahead of the World Cup.
Atletico Madrid will be Chelsea's next opponents on Tuesday in the final Champions League game, which will decide the winners of Group C.
Conte is utilising both a 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 formation this season, depending on the opposition. Moses could make his first appearance since October 14 against Crystal Palace.
Morata will likely continue up front with Batshuayi still out injured while Marcos Alonso is very likely to start, with few alternatives vying for his left wing back spot.
NEWCASTLE TEAM NEWS
Isaac Hayden returned to the squad in the 2-2 draw with West Brom on Tuesday night after missing the defeat to Watford through suspension. Mikel Merino also got his first start since recovering from a back injury.
Ex-Chelsea winger Christian Atsu is expected to miss his chance to return to Stamford Bridge after turning his loan move into a permanent deal in the summer. He is out with a hamstring injury. Jamaal Lascelles is likely to be out with a foot complaint and Paul Dummett has a hamstring issue.
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