This week's Monday Night Football in the Premier League sees injury-hit Newcastle United travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

It will be a tough place to go to for Steve Bruce's Newcastle side, as Chelsea have had a good run of form since bringing in manager Thomas Tuchel; recording 4 wins and a draw in the 5 games under the German in all competitions.

Tuchel's side will also be aware that a victory would see them move into the top 4 places in the league following Liverpool's loss against Leicester City on Saturday.

And while Newcastle find themselves 10 points of the relegation zone, Burnley's victory at Crystal Palace saw them drop to just a place above the bottom three, and Bruce would be keen to get points on the board to move up the table, knowing a victory at Stamford Bridge would take them up to 15th.

Team News

Chelsea will be without two key players for the game, with Brazilian defender Thiago Silva and German midfielder Kai Havertz both ruled out with injury.

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Tuchel, however, will be hopeful that Timo Werner will be able to return to the side following a dead leg that saw him not involved in Chelsea's 1-0 win against Barnsley in the FA Cup on Thursday night.

As for Newcastle, they have a bit of a selection crisis, with at least 6 players ruled out for the fixture. Defenders Federico Fernandez, Jamaal Lascelles, Fabian Schar and Javier Manquillo, as well as top scorer Callum Wilson, are all out injured, while Jeff Hendrick is suspended following his red card against Southampton last weekend.

Bruce is fortunate to see the timely return of Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett from injury to fill the gap at the back, however it is likely that we will see a makeshift back line from the Magpies.

Expected Lineups

Chelsea: Edouard Mendy; Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger; Callum Hudson-Odoi, Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic, Marcos Alonso; Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Timo Werner.

Newcastle United: Karl Darlow; Emil Krafth, Ciaran Clark, Paul Dummett, Jamal Lewis; Joe Willock, Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey; Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin.

Ones to Watch

After scoring the second goal in their last home game, the 2-0 victory against Burnley, Marcos Alonso is back in favour at Chelsea, and could get another chance to start in his preferred left wing back role in this game.

The Spaniard scored the winning goal for the Blues in this fixture last season, and offers a real goal threat from the left hand side.

With Chelsea now reverting back to a system with wing backs under Tuchel, a lifeline has been handed out to Alonso, who found himself frozen out under previous boss Frank Lampard, and could prove to be an invaluable asset in a side that lacks consistent goal threat.

As for Newcastle, the man that a lot of people will be looking out for is January signing Joe Willock, who has recently been brought in on loan from Arsenal for the remainder of the season.

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The England under 21 international scored in his debut last week in Newcastle's 3-2 victory against Southampton, and adds energy to an otherwise defensive midfield.

Previous Meetings

The last meeting between the two sides saw Chelsea come out on top with a 2-0 victory in November at St. James' Park thanks to an own goal from Federico Fernandez and a second half strike from Tammy Abraham.

Chelsea have won 8 of their last 10 games at Stamford Bridge against Newcastle, but the Magpies have had their fair share of famous wins against the Blues, with the most recent being a 1-0 win courtesy of a last minute Jamaal Lascelles header at St. James' Park last January.

Newcastle will be hoping to get their first win at Stamford Bridge in 9 years, with their last victory coming in 2012, when they won 2-0, featuring a goal from Papiss Cisse which is still considered one of the best goals in Premier League history.

How to Watch

Chelsea vs. Newcastle United is on Monday 15th February 2021, with kick off commencing at 8pm. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event as part of their Monday Night Football programming.

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