Chelsea will return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon when they host Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge this weekend.
The Blues fell to defeat at Anfield last weekend against Liverpool, but returned to winning ways in Europe with a 4-1 win over Panathinaikos with a much-changed team on Thursday, while the Magpies had a poor performance and were beaten by high-flying Brighton in their last fixture last weekend.
Both teams will look to make a return to winning ways domestically, and this is how GIVEMESPORT expects both managers to line up.
Chelsea Team News
Maresca has full bill of health
Injuries have been a big part of the situation at Chelsea in recent times, but Enzo Maresca has got a huge boost after coming through the most recent game week totally unscathed.
Captain Reece James and midfielder Romeo Lavia returned from long-term injuries last week and have had no reactions, while a host of first-team stars were rested in midweek which means they’ll come into the game fresh. Young striker Omari Kellyman remains the only player to be sidelined with a hamstring injury expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future.
Chelsea Injuries and Suspensions | ||
|---|---|---|
Player | Injury | Potential Return Date |
Omari Kellyman | Hamstring | December 2025 |
Maresca Drops Team News Update
Speaking after the win over Panathinaikos on Thursday, Maresca shared an update on the fitness of his squad ahead of this game.
“For him and Romeo [Lavia], the idea was for him and Romeo to have one hour or 55 minutes maximum. I was quite afraid to keep them on for more minutes on the pitch so I decided to change both of them on 55 minutes. Chilly [Ben Chilwell] is one of our players. He was ill [this week], so he didn’t get any sessions. We will see how he is today and tomorrow.”
Chelsea Predicted XI
Pedro Neto pushing to start
- Chelsea Predicted XI: Sanchez; James, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Lavia; Neto, Palmer, Sancho; Jackson
- Chelsea Predicted Substitutes: Jorgensen (GK), Disasi (DEF), Badiashile (DEF), Fernandez (MID), Dewsbury-Hall (MID), Madueke (FWD), Felix (FWD), Murdyk (FWD), Nkunku (FWD)
After a good performance against Liverpool, Maresca made 11 changes in midweek and got another strong showing from his team which could see some players given a chance. £54m summer signing Pedro Neto has impressed in recent weeks and could come in ahead of Noni Madueke out wide, but Joao Felix is likely to miss out because he’s competing with Cole Palmer.
In defence it’s another chance for Reece James to get more minutes under his belt at right-back, while Romeo Lavia should start again in place of Enzo Fernandez.
Newcastle Team News
Wilson suffers setback again
Eddie Howe on the other hand is dealing with several injuries to first-team stars, and will be rocked by the news that striker Callum Wilson has suffered another setback in his bid to recover from his latest problem.
Kieran Trippier remains sidelined with a thigh problem as does Martin Dubravka, while Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman are still some way away from recovering from ACL injuries they suffered last season.
Newcastle Injuries and Suspensions | ||
|---|---|---|
Player | Injury | Potential return date |
Sven Botman | Knee | December 2024 |
Jamaal Lascelles | Knee | February 2025 |
Kieran Trippier | Thigh | November 2024 |
Callum Wilson | Back | November 2024 |
Martin Dubravka | Knee | November 2024 |
Howe Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Howe shared an update on the health status of his squad.
“We’re going to lose Callum for the next three games. He’s had some tightness in his body and hasn’t felt like he could kick on to that last part. He had trained with us and looked really good but, with Callum, he is hyper-sensitive to any reaction to the work. He’s got no injury as such but he’s just not ready to come back yet.”
Newcastle Predicted XI
Barnes to return to the side
- Newcastle Predicted XI: Pope; Livramento, Burn, Schar, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Barnes, Isak, Gordon
- Newcastle Predicted Substitutes: Vlachodimos (GK), Kelly (DEF), Krafth (DEF), Longstaff (MID), Miley (MID), Willock (MID), Almiron (FWD), Murphy (FWD), Osula (FWD)
The Magpies turned in a disappointing performance at home last time out, but Howe is unlikely to react too much to that with wholesale changes. Jacob Murphy struggled and could be replaced by Harvey Barnes for a more potent threat in attack, but the midfield is expected to be unchanged with Joe Willock disappointing staff behind the scenes.