Chelsea will entertain Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening looking to bounce back from their narrow 1-0 loss against Tottenham Hotspur in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinals. The Pensioners have not played well of late which has put them in real danger of being overtaken by Arsenal in the race to secure a top 4 spot at the end of this campaign.
There is no doubt that the West London outfit needs to claim all three points from this encounter, but it would be difficult considering Alvaro Morata’s lack of form up top. Maurizio Sarri might opt for a 4-3-3 formation and make some crucial changes to his side for this weekend’s clash in London.
4-3-3 Chelsea Predicted Lineup To Face Newcastle United
Defence
Kepa Arrizabalaga will keep his place in between the sticks for the Pensioners this weekend after conceding a goal from the penalty spot against Tottenham Hotspur in midweek. The defensive pair of David Luiz and Antonio Rudiger should continue to feature as the centre-backs at the heart of Sarri’s backline. Luiz was rested in the Carabao Cup clash so he should be fresh for the visit of Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge.
Cesar Azpilicueta will play as the right-back while Marcos Alonso would look to cause some problems down the left flank. The Chelsea defence should have a comfortable game against the Magpies who have struggled to score goals up top on a consistent basis this season. If Sarri’s defenders can somehow neutralise the threat of Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez, then it is difficult to see how Rafael Benitez’s men will score on Saturday evening.
Midfield
The Pensioners might line up with the midfield trio of Ross Barkley, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante as Mateo Kovacic would hope to play a part from the bench. Barkley showed a few flashes of what he is capable of going forward in midweek so he might get another chance to contribute as part of Sarri’s first-team.
Attack
Eden Hazard has been Chelsea’s biggest weapon going forward. However, the Belgian international has not scored in his past three starts for the Pensioners, so he needs to return to goal-scoring ways if the home team are to claim maximum points from this contest.
Alvaro Morata might get the nod to start down the middle while Willian offers some added width and trickery down the right flank.
