Chelsea FC vs Newcastle United: Thoughts And Prediction

After being handed their first loss of the season at Newcastle not to long ago, Chelsea FC will be looking for revenge on their own grounds come Saturday.

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While the Blues had a very good November — which is quite nontraditional — December was not so kind. They also started their New Year with a deflating 5-3 loss to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur on the first day of January.

Chelsea squared off with Newcastle at St. James’ Park early in December, and were unfortunate to leave with a 2-1 loss. Magpies substitute Papisse Cisse proved the difference-maker for then Manager Alan Pardew, with a surprise brace. Chelsea striker Didier Drogba pulled one back seven minutes from time, but it was a case of too little too late for the Blues, as they journeyed back home empty handed.

As for Newcastle, they will be facing Chelsea without Pardew this time around. The manager recently left the club to take charge of Crystal Palace. So far, the Magpies have not replaced him, caretaker Manager John Carver holds the reins for now, but The Mirror reports that seven other candidates are being looked at.

So far, things have been a bit rocky. They had to share the points in a 3-3 draw with Burnley in their last league match, then got knocked out of the FA Cup after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City. The squad is clearly unsettled by the change, Pardew had been in charge since 2010, so his departure leaves them in a bad place; it will take a while before they regain some sort of stability.

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Things aren’t going so well for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea either. After drawing 1-1 with Southampton at St. Mary’s, they suffered that awful loss to Tottenham, allowing Manchester City to draw level at the top of the table. The Blues had a healthy lead over City a little over a month ago, so to see it cut down to nothing must be heart-wrenching.

They have been hard done by over the past two games, with important decisions going against them. The standard of refereeing this season has been absolutely terrible, and the Blues have probably been the most affected.

Former referee’s chief Keith Hackett has shared his views on the poor refereeing decisions made this term — especially during the festive season.

"“I see standards falling. Over the Christmas period, it reached standards that were bordering on appalling.”-Keith Hackett-Source: BBC Sport"

Hackett has even called for five officials in particular to be demoted at the end of the season, and he also believes that Mike Riley — the current chief — should step down.

Prediction

Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Watford should have given them a slight boost in confidence. With their backs up against the wall, they will need to go on another run to reopen their gap at the top, and the run needs to start now.

They can take comfort from the fact that they haven’t dropped any points at home, but they can’t rely on stats.

Eden Hazard has been virtually unplayable as of late, while Diego Costa seems to have regained his goalscoring touch. The Blues will need these two players at the top of their game to overcome the Magpies (who only seem to turn up when they play Chelsea).

Nemanja Matic — who was absent from the last meeting — will be available this time around — another reason why Chelsea should be optimistic.

Newcastle will be without Papisse Cisse, the forward is currently serving a three match ban; he was punished by the FA for violent conduct after he appeared to elbow Seamus Coleman in the face during their 3-2 win over Everton at St. James’. The Magpies also have the longest injured list in the league right now (14 players).

They will have to rely on Ayoze Perez and Emmanuel Riviere up front, two forwards who haven’t been exactly convincing. Jack Colback — who is injured but has a chance to feature — has been one of their better performers, and Chelsea will have to pay close attention.

With Chelsea playing at home and having all players in good health, while Newcastle will be without Cisse — and many others — a home win looks very likely.

Chelsea FC vs Newcastle United – Final Score Prediction: Chelsea – 3, Newcastle – 1

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