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2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 9
Chelsea v Newcastle United
Stamford Bridge
London, England
Sunday, 27 October 2024
Kick-off is at 14h00
Chelsea will be aiming to get their
Premier League top-four challenge back on track when Newcastle visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday, October 27.
The Blues suffered only their second defeat of the season with a 2-1 reverse to league leaders Liverpool at Anfield on October 20 which halted a six-match unbeaten run.
Enzo Maresca's side have now failed to win their last two games and find themselves three points outside the UEFA Champions League places in sixth spot.
Aston Villa (4th) and Brighton (5th) both won on matchday 8 to climb above the West Londoners in the standings, while Tottenham (7th) closed within a point of their city rivals after also returning to winning ways.
The Magpies' slump continued with a 1-0 loss to the Seagulls to leave them without a win in four matches, although they remain in the top-half of the table, two points behind Chelsea in eighth position.
In team news, The hosts welcome back Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana from suspension, while Ben Chilwell (illness) could also come back into contention, leaving Omari Kellyman (thigh) as the only absentee. Callum Wilson (back) and Martin Dubravka (knee) are closing in on their returns for the visitors, but Jamaal Lascelles, Sven Botman (both knee) and Kieran Trippier (thigh) remain on the sidelines.
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Maresca took encouragement from the performance of his players on Merseyside, having pinned the Reds inside their own half for long periods and creating more chances in the game.
"The performance was very good. We don't like to lose games or drop points but if there is a way for you to do so, then this is the way," the Italian said.
"I have been in this stadium many times and seeing Liverpool in their half for a long time is not easy. Overall, we controlled the game and for most parts, we dominated the game. But we lost, we are not happy but as I said, the performance on the ball and off the ball was very good.
"For sure we can do many, many things better - no doubt - but at the same time, we need to understand that game after game we are getting better."
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Howe expressed his frustration with the result against Albion after bossing proceedings at St James' Park but failing to capitalise on their dominance.
"I'm really frustrated because I thought our general performance today for 65 minutes was really good," he said.
"I think that's the best we've looked, the most dominant we've been in a game and lo and behold, we have plenty of chances, don't take them and concede a poor goal from our perspective from Brighton's first real meaningful attack.
"Of course, we only have ourselves to blame for that. We need to look at that and analyse that, but the majority of the performance, especially in the early stages of the game, was very, very strong."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Chelsea wins - 2
Newcastle wins - 2
Draws - 1
Premier League Matchday 9 fixtures:
Friday, October 25
19h00: Leicester City v Nottingham Forest
Saturday, October 26
14h00: Aston Villa v Bournemouth
14h00: Brentford v Ipswich Town
14h00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers
14h00: Manchester City v Southampton
16h30: Everton v Fulham
Sunday, October 27
14h00: Chelsea v Newcastle United
14h00: Crystal Palace v Tottenham Hotspur
14h00: West Ham United v Manchester United
16h30: Arsenal v Liverpool
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