Newcastle United will host Chelsea at St. James’ Park on Sunday and both sides will be searching for a positive result.
Newcastle United are preparing for their third match of the season on Sunday as Chelsea depart London for Tyneside. The Magpies have been mediocre in their first two matches as they lost a close match to Tottenham and drew on the road against Cardiff City.
Chelsea have been one of the hottest teams in the Premier League as they secured six points from two matches against Huddersfield Town (away) and Arsenal (home) by scoring six goals. Facing Newcastle after playing Arsenal might seem like a step down for the Blues, but their players should know better than to underestimate the Magpies at St. James’ Park.
👀 Take a look behind the scenes at training today... #NUFC pic.twitter.com/8xDkdMF62K
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 23, 2018
Kick-off for this match is scheduled at 4:00 P.M. and Newcastle’s supporters will either witness a home side that is eager to improve their form or will watch the Toon chase the ball in their own half. If we can learn anything from the past, we can expect to see more urgency and confidence among the Magpies as Rafa Benitez usually does well in altering the mindset of his players.
Potential Lineup Changes
Benitez is the only man who knows what lineup he will deploy for a match, but it is safe to assume that Newcastle will make multiple changes for this match. Aside from Martin Dubravka and Kenedy, none of the five other summer signings have made full debuts for Newcastle this season.
Salomon Rondon made one second-half appearance and Yoshinori Muto came on as a late substitute in both matches this season. Supporters on social media have begun to question Benitez’s lineups and have started calling for the integration of new signings in the lineup.
Regardless of Newcastle’s tactical formation and lineup, it is important to remember that Chelsea are a top European club and they will look to maintain their perfect start. Newcastle have not been stable in the back with multiple injuries, and they must find a way to develop solidity against a fast-paced Chelsea attack.
The Magpies must be attentive defensively, but they should not attempt to build a bunker with several players. Instead, Newcastle should emulate their performance against Tottenham. Despite losing to Spurs, Newcastle played well and had 15 shot attempts against an elite English club.
Final Note
Moreover, Newcastle must remind themselves that they have defeated Chelsea at home in the not too distant past and they can do it again with collective effort. With one point from two matches, Newcastle currently sit 12th in the Premier League table and if they want to earn another mid-table finish this season they will need to knock off a giant early on.
Chelsea will be the favorites and they will look to dominate the match in every category, but football is unpredictable. A win for Newcastle would serve the club well in terms of confidence, whereas a win for Chelsea would make Sarri look like a great replacement for Antonio Conte.