Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City with a win over Newcastle this weekend.
Second-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez inflicted more misery on Graham Potter as the Blues exited the competition in just the third round.
There is minimal time for moping, though, as Chelsea have a huge test in their final game before the World Cup break. Newcastle haven't lost in eight Premier League games and having only conceded 11 goals this season, they boast the best defence alongside league leaders, Arsenal.
READ MORE: Eddie Howe confirms tense Chelsea deadline as Newcastle star awaits late fitness decision
Meanwhile, the Blues haven't recorded a league victory in four games. Although it's still early in the league season, Blues fans will be thinking that it's almost a must-win on Tyneside. If the Magpies win, they will go nine points ahead of Chelsea in the race for Champions League football, something Potter simply cannot afford.
To make matters worse, plenty of players are still out through injury. Reece James, Ben Chilwell and N'Golo Kante and Kepa Arrizabalaga are all missing the World Cup as a result of their respective problems, meaning they're also going to be absent on Saturday.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the squad that's available to Potter for the trip to the northeast.
Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from the Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester City with a win over Newcastle this weekend.
Second-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Julian Alvarez inflicted more misery on Graham Potter as the Blues exited the competition in just the third round.
There is minimal time for moping, though, as Chelsea have a huge test in their final game before the World Cup break. Newcastle haven't lost in eight Premier League games and only conceded 11 goals this season. They boast the best defence alongside league leaders Arsenal.
READ MORE: Eddie Howe confirms tense Chelsea deadline as Newcastle star awaits late fitness decision
Meanwhile, the Blues haven't recorded a league victory in four games. Although it's still early in the league season, Blues fans will be thinking that it's almost a must-win on Tyneside. If the Magpies win, they will go nine points ahead of Chelsea in the race for Champions League football, something Potter simply cannot afford.
To make matters worse, plenty of players are still out through injury. Reece James, Ben Chilwell and N'Golo Kante, and Kepa Arrizabalaga are all missing the World Cup as a result of their respective problems, meaning they're also going to be absent on Saturday.
With that in mind, let's take a look at the squad that's available to Potter for the trip to the northeast.
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Marcus Bettinelli.
Defenders: Kalidou Koulibaly, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella, Cesar Azpilicueta, Trevoh Chalobah.
Midfielders: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Denis Zakaria, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher, Omari Hutchinson.
Forwards: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Armando Broja, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling, Hakim Ziyech
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