Steve Bruce, a manager who has been under pressure from the first day he took the job, will bring his Newcastle side to Stamford Bridge on Monday with the Magboies having only won once in their last 26 visits.
Newcastle are yet again hovering just above the relegation places and could well be involved in a scrap to remain in the top tier come the last few fixtures of the current season.
Last season’s encounter was settled by the only goal of the game which was scored by Marcos Alonso while the meeting at St James’ Park earlier this season saw Chelsea win 2-0 thanks to an own-goal and a second scored by Tammy Abraham.
Chelsea’s 1-0 win against Barnsley at Oakwell may well have taught Thomas Tuchel a thing or two about the dangers of playing a ‘lesser’ side so it is hoped that he will decide to choose his strongest XI for the visit of The Toon.
LATEST ODDS: CHELSEA v NEWCASTLE
Following the defeat of Liverpool at the hands of Leicester City on Saturday afternoon, the German has the chance to guide his team into the fourth Champions League lace in the Premier League.
With London rivals West Ham on the same number of points, albeit with an inferior goal difference, only a win will ensure that Chelsea leapfrog the faltering Anfield side.
As witnessed by the Chelsea faithful in recent years, the manager’s job at Stamford Bridge is only ever guaranteed if he brings constant success.
Despite the fact that it was Abraham, who both came to Chelsea’s rescue at Oakwell on Thursday as well as keeping up his fantastic goal scoring record, with Timo Werner still bereft of a goal in what has turned into months, I’m keeping my faith in the German to break his duck and score against Newcastle.
The odds for Werner to score anytime within the 90 minutes are 2.40 with our good friends at FansBet.
About the Author
Londoner David Johnstone is a home, away and European away Chelsea supporter and has missed just six matches since 2001 (although he’s quick to state there are plenty of other supporters with better attendance records than him).
He has been involved with the fanzine scene at Chelsea since around 1991 and started the ‘cfcuk’ fanzine in 1999 which was, until Mr Abramovich bought the club in 2003, named ‘Matthew Harding’s Blue And White Army’.
David was also responsible for forming both the Chelsea Supporters’ Group and the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust which are the main two bodies that represent the followers of Chelsea FC and take their concerns to those running the club.
A founder of the highly regarded Chelsea FanCast weekly podcast (but is no longer involved) and responsible for the crowd surfing banners and supporter displays that are seen in the Matthew Harding Stand at Stamford Bridge on matchday.
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