Chelsea is set to take on 8th place Newcastle United on Saturday, February 8, 2014 (7:00 AM Pacific, 15:00 GMT) at Stamford Bridge. The Blues will be looking to keep themselves in the title race, while the Magpies will look to hold their mid-table position. Chelsea is coming off of one of their greatest wins in the season, a 1-0 win against Manchester City. Meanwhile, Newcastle are coming off of one of their worst defeats of the season against rivals Sunderland, losing 0-3.
Chelsea have won five of their last six games at home, with their only draw coming from a surprising stalemate against West Ham. An impressive 39 shots were taken in the direction of the West Ham goal, but a combination of unluckiness and the opposition’s skill held the game to a draw. Against City, Chelsea again showed their full attacking potential and strengths in the counterattack, something that will surely be expressed against Newcastle.
Newcastle have lost four of their last six games, but to be fair, two of those games were against Premier League powerhouses Manchester City and Arsenal. This could, however, be a trend of losses against title contenders.
It is possible that Fernando Torres will make his reappearance into the starting eleven returning from a knee injury suffered against West Ham in late January.
Newcastle will be without captain Fabricio Colocinni, who suffered a knee injury against West Bromwich Albion. The Argentine will be missed and will open up a gaping hole in the Newcastle defense. The Ivorian international, Cheick Tioté will be out with a hamstring injury. In addition, Frenchmen Gouffran and Loic Remy will be absent.
The key players in this game will be Nemanja Matic and Tim Krul. Matic has held down the midfield with his strength and power and will look to continue his good spree. With the absence of Newcastle’s iconic midfield players missing, this will be a perfect game for him to shine. Tim Krul will be taking a number of shots on his goal. The last two games Chelsea have shown their true attacking potential and will continue this streak.
Related: Full Analysis of Chelsea’s Possible Lineup vs Newcastle
Chelsea manager José Mourinho is still frustrated over his squad’s 2-0 loss against Newcastle just weeks ago. Mourinho was so disappointed in his squad’s performance that he said every one of his choices was a wrong choice. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew had a bad week in the media, with one of his coaches being let go. He will be looking to make a positive impact in the media.
Chelsea vs Newcastle Prediction
The match will end 3-0, with the win going to Chelsea. The Blues are in such great form after a win against Manchester City and a shooting spree against West Ham. Newcastle have too many key injuries, and it will hold a huge impact on the game.
Chelsea vs Newcastle Television
The match will be televised on USA Network, for all other countries, check on LiveSoccerTV.
