Newcastle v Chelsea preview ahead of this St James’ Park clash

Welcome to the Newcastle v Chelsea preview.

Saturday 20th December and a 12.30pm kick-off.

The Toon host Chelsea this Saturday in a ludicrous early kick-off time, due to the demands of live TV.

Both teams go into this one knowing that only a win will be good enough.

Newcastle need points to start climbing the league table having endured something of a stop-start league campaign so far. Chelsea however have far loftier ambitions at present, hoping to cement their place in the top four.

Away from home, we’ve often flattered to deceive this season but we’ve enjoyed some brilliant form at St James’ Park, fingers crossed this continues as we host a match for the last time this calendar year.

Form

The Toon have won three, drawn one and lost two of their past six league matches. Wins have come against Burnley, Everton and Man City, whereas we’ve drawn with Spurs and suffered desperately poor defeats away to both Brentford and the Mackems. We’ve scored eleven goals in these six matches and conceded nine. The ten points gained has us twelfth in the league and a win could see us sneak into the top half.

Chelsea have won three, drawn two and lost one of their past six league matches. Wins have come against Wolves, Burnley and Everton, they’ve drawn with Bournemouth and Arsenal, lost away at Leeds. They’ve scored nine goals and conceded four. The eleven points gained has them fourth in the league and a win could see them close the gap on third placed Aston Villa.

Last time out

Newcastle hosted Fulham in the League Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night and booked their place in the semi-final due to a last minute winner from Lewis Miley. The Toon had taken an early lead through a Wissa strike on his first start but were soon pegged back to 1-1 and it looked like the tie would have to be settled on penalties, before Miley popped up with a headed goal from an injury time corner. The semi-final draw has given us a two-legged tie with a Manchester City side we’ve already beaten this season and we’ll be at home in the first leg.

Chelsea were also in League Cup quarter-final action this week. They travelled to Cardiff on Tuesday night and survived a scare, needing two late goals to secure a 3-1 win that seals a place in the semi-final where they’ll face Arsenal or Crystal Palace.

Stat attack!

-Newcastle have won the past four home matches with Chelsea in all competitions.

-The Toon have won eight of their past twelve home league meetings with Chelsea.

-NUFC have found the net in twelve of their past fifteen home matches against the blues.

Memorable match

In March 2003, Newcastle hosted Chelsea, having not beaten the blues in the past eleven meetings between the sides. Both teams were looking for a top four finish and knew this was a real six pointer. Sir Bobby Robson had been enjoying a momentous season in charge of a Toon side that had made the last sixteen of the Champions League and the Toon knew a victory in this one would go a long way towards ensuring more European adventures next term. A frantic opening saw debutant Jonathan Woodgate kept very busy by Chelsea as NUFC struggled against early pressure. When the breakthrough did come it was completely against the run of play but gratefully received as a Solano cross was headed into his own net by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Newcastle’s joy was to be short-lived as Frank Lampard volleyed home superbly to restore parity. As the game came alive, Chelsea immediately missed a golden chance to take the lead and a furious Alan Shearer had strong penalty appeals waved away, meaning the scores were level at the break. The second half was just seven minutes old when the move of the match brought about the winning goal. Hugo Viana, who didn’t have many Tyneside highlights, threaded a perfectly weighted pass through to the onrushing Olivier Bernard who was able to flick the ball over the ‘keeper with the outside of his foot to give United a lead that they were able to hold on to for the rest of the half to secure a fine victory.

Final Score Newcastle 2-1 Chelsea

Played for both

Celestine Babayaro played for Chelsea between 1997 and 2005, he scored his first goal for the blues against the Toon in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. He played over two-hundred matches for Chelsea before signing for Greame Souness’ Newcastle in Jan 2005. He scored his first and only goal for NUFC in a 3-1 against Coventry in the FA Cup. A little known fact about Babayaro is that he played against Liverpool just a few hours after learning about the death of his brother and put in a fine shift in a 2-1 victory under Glenn Roeder. At the end of the 04/05 season, champions Chelsea played their last match at St James; Park and invited Babayaro to join them in entering the field to a guard of honour. He’d played four league games for the blues that season before his transfer to NUFC.

Damien Duff looked an absolute bargain when signing from Chelsea for five million pounds in 2006. The Republic of Ireland International had spent three successful seasons as an attacking midfielder at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, his most memorable moment in a black and white shirt was for all the wrong reasons when his own goal sealed our relegation from the Premier League in 2009. His highlights were few and far between but a last minute winner at home to Spurs just before Christmas in 2008 was wildly celebrated, as was his equaliser away to West Brom on our return to Championship football.

Demba Ba signed for the Toon from West Ham in 2011 and soon became an absolutely integral part of the team that finished fifth in the league. Hat-tricks in 3-1 wins against both Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City were memorable, but a personal highlight of mine was a magnificent turn and half-volley in a fantastic 3-0 victory over Man Utd, on a night when the Red Devils were blown away by a rampant United. When he was joined by Senegalese teammate Papiss Demba Cisse in January, it looked like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, the pair of them never really gelled at NUFC and Ba became increasingly frustrated at being pushed into a wide role. He signed for Chelsea in 2013 but was unable to reach the heights of his first few months as a Magpie.

Issue 266 – 3 March 2012

Managers

Eddie Howe after a 2-1 victory at home to Fulham:

“Hard fought win, great moment for us, we needed it after Sunday’s disappointment. Good character from the group, good resilience, mental strength. A tough game against a Fulham side who play really good football but I thought we deserved to win. The training ground has been a sombre place. We fully recognise what we did in the last game and what that left the people of Newcastle with. We had to live with that. I’m not going to lie. I won’t ever forget the feeling after Sunderland. It’ll be there until we play them again but we must move on. I love the two-legged semi-finals. I think that’s what makes the Carabao Cup slightly unique, the home and away ties. This is going to be a really tough tie, and everyone wants a trophy.”

Enzo Maresca after a 3-1 win away at Cardiff City:

“I’m very happy, especially for the effort of the players. I said yesterday that football is full of these tricky games so you have to pay attention and we did a good game. Off the ball, we were quite good, on the ball, we struggled a bit to create chances in the first half for many reasons. Second half we were much better on the ball. It was a big difference between the first half and second half, the way we attacked also. Cardiff were very organised and intense. In the end, we did enough to win the game.”

Charity

Newcastle United fans food bank will once again be collecting opposite the Gallowgate end and gratefully receiving food, money and toiletries for those in need. Of particular interest are non-perishable food and drink items (such as noodles, pasta, rice, canned food, soup, cereal, cordial, long life milk etc) as well as toiletries such as shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste and sanitary products. Please give whatever you can, any donation is very much appreciated.

For further info and/or to donate online go to Newcastle Foodbank

Prediction

This is a team I love to beat!

Ever since they made me cry at Wembley almost twenty-six years ago, I’ve taken special pleasure from every victory we’ve enjoyed over Chelsea. Both sides played midweek and have been stretched by battling in Europe too. As such I think both may have to settle for a point.

Newcastle 1-1 Chelsea