Chelsea v Newcastle
Saturday 2 December, 12:30 GMT
Live on Sky Sports Football

Blues in the top four mix but title chances long gone

The Blues did just about enough to beat Swansea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening and while the performance wasn't great, they still did enough to win.
I am pretty sure that Antonio Conte would have taken four points from that game, plus the match at Anfield last Saturday, but with Man City in such irresistible form, it would appear that the defending champions are playing for second place.
They aren't in a bad position either as they sit third, just three points behind Manchester United. Arsenal and Liverpool are hot on their heels though and with Chelsea facing a huge amount of fixtures over the course of the next month, it will be interesting to see how they cope - especially as they are short of cover in certain areas.
As for the team news, the rested trio of Eden Hazard, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Cesar Azpilicueta should all return to the starting XI, as Conte continues to rotate his players given the aforementioned fixture schedule.

Newcastle limping through to January

The Magpies ended a run of four straight defeats at West Brom on Tuesday as they came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2. Rafa Benitez would have been delighted with the fight that his players showed in the second half of that game, but there aren't many other positives to take at present.
The former Chelsea boss has bemoaned the lack of transfer activity over the summer, but as winners of the Championship, they should be doing better than they are currently.
Despite the negativity, Newcastle are still in 12th place in the table - just two points behind Leicester in ninth. The concern is their recent form however, and while any kind of positive result from this visit to Stamford Bridge would be a bonus, their focus will surely be on their next two matches - both at home to Leicester and Everton respectively.
Benitez rotated his team quite heavily during the week so it's likely that we can expect more changes for this clash. The two likeliest players to return to the side are Jonjo Shelvey and Rob Elliot.

Little value in the Match Odds

We have a short priced favourite here as a home win is priced up at around the 1.26 mark. To be perfectly honest, I can't see past a Chelsea victory, but I don't really see the point in putting up a 1/4 shot as a main selection.
Those who which to oppose the hosts can do so by laying the above, backing the draw at 6.80 or taking a punt on the away win at 15.50. The line of thinking could be that Chelsea have only won four of their seven at the Bridge this term - losing to both Burnley and Man City, while being held by Arsenal also.
The last of those three results came back in September though, and since then they have played five times at home in all competitions - winning four and drawing with Roma in the other.
It's hard to be positive about Newcastle's away record either as they have recorded just a single victory on the road this year - drawing two and losing four. It's also worth noting that the last time they were in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season, they lost 14 of their 19 away games.

Back Newcastle to continue their scoring run

The Betfair layers have the Over/Under 2.5 Goals market priced up as 1.70 for Overs and 2.40 for Unders. There are two schools of thoughts on this really, as the overall season stats suggest that the 2.40 is decent value.
Chelsea have played 14 times this season and exactly half of them have ended with the ball in the net on two occasions or fewer - and four of them have come from their last five outings.
Newcastle can better that as eight of their 14 have seen under 2.5 backers collect, but it is worth noting with them that their last three have all had three goals or more.
My stance on this is that I wouldn't touch either as I'd much rather play the Both Teams to Score market. You can currently back 'Yes' at 2.26 and that appears like excellent value to me,
They may be struggling for results away from St James' Park, but Newcastle have still managed to find the net in three of their last four on their travels, and that includes two at Southampton and West Brom, and the opener at Old Trafford.
The hosts have kept clean sheets in their last two at home, but prior to that they conceded twice against Watford, once against Man City, and let's not forget the three they shipped against Burnley on the opening day and three against Roma in the Champions League back in October.
If you want something at a big price though, take a look at the First Goalscorer market with the following Opta Stat in mind - Antonio Conte's side have scored a league-high eight headed goals in the Premier League so far this season - the same number as they managed last season (8) and two more than in 2015-16 (6) in the Premier League.
Hint Hint - Gary Cahill.

Ref Watch

Kevin Friend takes charge of this fixture and he comes into it with a rested arm having failed to brandish a card in his last match between Southampton and Everton.
He's only shown 28 yellows and one red in a dozen outings this season, but with Chelsea and Newcastle picking up their fair share of cards this year, he could be in for a busy afternoon.
Alvaro Morata is one booking away from a ban and if Jonjo Shelvey starts the chances of some tasty challenges being made increases. These two clubs have already had four reds between them this season - three for Chelsea - so it wouldn't be the greatest surprise in the world if we don't finish with 22 men on the field.
Recommended Bet
Back Both Teams to Score @ 2.26


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