Chelsea travel to Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United seeking to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions, their last defeat being the 2-0 reverse on September 20th at home against Liverpool.
Last season’s corresponding fixture saw a solitary 73rd-minute goal scored by Marcos Alonso decide the match, Frank Lampard’s men settling for the 1-0 result.
However, in the reverse fixture at St James’, Chelsea looked although they were heading for a 0-0 draw until a 90th-minute goal gave The Magpies all three points.
Lampard’s side goes into the match on the back of an 11-game unbeaten run, notwithstanding the League Cup defeat on penalties against Sp*rs in September.
However, the ‘form book’ has been ripped up on several occasions so far this season and it may well be the case on with this fixture.
LATEST ODDS: NEWCASTLE V CHELSEA
The Magpies’ last five games have seen them win two, lose two and draw one but there is presently an undercurrent of dissatisfaction at the club with regard to its owner Mike Ashley and his attempts to sell.
It’s clear that the Chelsea supporter’s presence at Newcastle United is not welcomed by a large swathe of the Geordie fans, something that the Sports Direct CEO is well aware of.
Indeed, his attempts to sell the club to a Saudi Arabian backed consortium was foiled after the Premier League rejected the prospective owners on the grounds that they hadn’t passed the ‘fit and proper person’ test.
My bets on the game this week will revolve around Mason Mount and Mateo Kovačić, both of who netted in midweek international duty and I’ll be laying a small ‘anytime’ bet on each of them to score – the odds being Mount 3.80 and Kovačić 7.50 with our 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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