Newcastle handed Chelsea their first loss of the season just over a month ago. Can they repeat the feat at Stamford Bridge, this time with an interim manager?
Five weeks ago, Newcastle shocked the Premier League when they handed Chelsea their first loss of the season. The Magpies earned a massive 2-1 win over the EPL's first-place team and helped re-shape the title race, with that victory helping Manchester City pull closer to Chelsea, and now even with them on points at the top of the table.
Of course, that was before Newcastle lost three straight matches and manager Alan Pardew jumped ship for Crystal Palace, so this isn't exactly the same team as it was then.
Now it's the task of interim boss John Carver to find a way to repeat that performance against Chelsea, who will be eager to even the score. Chelsea are also coming off their second loss of the season, after losing a New Years Day epic 5-3 to Tottenham. This is the first time all season Chelsea have dropped points in back-to-back matches in the league, and Jose Mourinho's side will be looking to do all they can to keep their skid from reaching a third game.
Key player - Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
The key is simple: when Hazard is on, Chelsea are essentially unbeatable. His ability to create chances out of nothing, both for himself and for teammates, is unparalleled in the Premier League. If Hazard gets rolling early, Newcastle simply don't have a player in their squad capable of containing him. Even if they do focus extra attention on to him to try to slow him down, all that does is create more opportunity for Chelsea's other playmakers to strut their stuff.
Key Matchup - Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle) vs. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Matic has seen a bit of a slip in his form of late, not quite performing as the dominant defensive midfielder he was earlier in the season. Moussa Sissoko isn't a complete certainty to play as he's coming off a hamstring tweak, but if he does start, he'll be the one to try to test to see if Matic has bounced back yet or not. The French international will look to challenge Matic early and often, trying to exploit any lingering shakiness or weakness in his game. How well Matic holds up will go a long ways towards determining what Newcastle can get out of this match.
Chelsea injuries and suspensions
Out: none reported In doubt: none reported
Newcastle injuries and suspensions
Out: Papiss Cisse (suspension), Steven Taylor (calf), Rob Elliot (hip), Mehdi Abeid (ankle), Ryan Taylor (knee), Rolando Aarons (hamstring), Gabby Obertan (thigh), Siem De Jong (thigh), Curtis Good (groin) In doubt: Fabricio Coloccini (muscular), Daryl Janmaat (groin), Jack Colback (hamstring), Moussa Sissoko (hamstring), Tim Krul (ankle)
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 3:00 P.M.local, 10:00 A.M. ET
Venue: Stamford Bridge, London, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. - English), Mun2 (U.S. - Spanish)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.)
Source SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1I6BF0z
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