Newcastle has had some drama off the pitch with the ownership of their club, but they have to chance their focus to on the pitch on Sunday. They’ll visit Chelsea in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and a win would really be a huge boost for Newcastle.
What To Know About Newcastle
Newcastle reached the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win at home over Luton Town as they scored all three goal in a nine-minute span. Ayoze Perez scored a pair in the 30th and 36th minutes, and then Jonjo Shelvey added another three minutes later to basically end the game. Newcastle has struggled to score goals all season as Perez is tied with Joselu for the team lead in goals scored in all competitions with four, and that is not going to cut it against the bigger teams in England. There are still a few moves that Newcastle can make before the transfer window ends on January 31st, but owner Mike Ashley wants to sell the club and talks with Amanda Staveley have broken down. It is tough to be active in the transfer market when you don’t know who is going to own the team, so that is something Newcastle has to work out.
What To Know About Chelsea
Chelsea were pushed to penalties in their replay with Norwich City, eventually winning 5-3 from the spot. Michi Batshuayi scored in the 55th minute before Norwich City tied it in injury time, and then Pedro and Alvaro Morata got red cards in the last minutes of extra time. Those two offensive players will be out for Chelsea in this match and that is going to put a lot of pressure on Eden Hazard, who was fantastic as Chelsea romped over Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League. Batshuayi should probably get another start up front, but Hazard is Chelsea’s creative engine and he’ll be crucial to their success on Sunday. Chelsea also has a slew of injuries as Cesc Fabregas and Gary Cahill both have hamstring injuries, while Danny Drinkwater has an ailing ankle and Andreas Christensen has a head injury.
Outlook
Chelsea are favored at home at -300, with Newcastle coming in at +700 and a draw is rated at +425. Chelsea has won six and drawn one of their last 11 meetings with Newcastle, and Chelsea won 3-1 at home in the Premier League on December 2nd over Newcastle. Hazard scored a pair of goals in that game, including one from the penalty spot and that is no surprise because if he struggles, Chelsea usually has troubles scoring. That gives Newcastle a fighting castle if they can keep Hazard relatively quiet. Newcastle has lost their last five games at Chelsea by a combined score of 15-2. so it is definitely an uphill battle. However, Newcastle’s players could rally around each other with everything going on at the club, and a banged-up Chelsea could be there for the taking. This is a tougher game for Chelsea than you would think.
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