Chelsea will be looking to rediscover their winning form when they face Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday.
A 2-0 defeat against Manchester City saw Chelsea knocked out of the Carabao Cup in the third round, just three days after a poor 1-0 loss to London rivals Arsenal. After their fantastic start to life under Graham Potter, the Blues have hit a rough patch, winning just two of their last seven games in all competitions.
Both those wins came in the Champions League, with Chelsea now winless in their last four Premier League games and seventh in the table. A tough trip to St. James' park now awaits, with Newcastle United in incredible form and sitting third in the table.
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Reece James, Ben Chilwell, N'Golo Kante, Wesley Fofana, Kepa and Carney Chuckwuemeka are all guaranteed absentees, whilst Jorginho is a slight doubt, though could still play on Saturday.
So, how could Chelsea perform against Newcastle United? Let's take a look.
Newcastle vs Chelsea score simulated
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that the hosts could set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Longstaff, Guimaraes, Willock; Almiron, Wilson, Murphy.
We predict that Chelsea could line up in a 3-4-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Mendy; Chalobah, Silva, Koulibaly; Loftus-Cheek, Kovacic, Jorginho, Cucurella; Mount, Aubameyang, Sterling.
Despite Newcastle's incredible run of recent form, the hosts struggled to contain Chelsea in the simulation, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hitting the post just six minutes from Raheem Sterling's cross. But, just eight minutes later, the Blues grabbed the opening goal through Aubameyang.
Raheem Sterling cut in from the left and breezed away from his marker before attacking the Magpies' defence through the middle. As Fabian Schar stepped out to meet Sterling, the winger found Aubameyang in the box, and the striker drilled a powerful strike into the top corner to make it 1-0.
Sterling was causing major issues for Newcastle, with the winger winning multiple fouls and causing mayhem around the host's box. It was a controlling start to the game for Chelsea, and they doubled their lead after 32 minutes when Aubameyang got his second.
Mason Mount floated a ball into Aubameyang at the back post, and as the striker brought down the pass, a stroke of luck saw the ball hit the heel of his marker and send the Gabon international through on goal. One-on-one, Aubameyang rifled his effort across Nick Pope and into the far corner.
As the game approached half-time, Newcastle were still looking for their first shot as Potter's side camped in the Magpies' half. It was a dominant display from Chelsea, and they made it 3-0 in added time of the first half.
Sterling cut in from the left and sized up his marker before playing a quick one-two with Mateo Kovacic, rounding Kieran Trippier and breaking into the box. As Pope rushed off his line, Sterling opened up his body and curled his shot around the 'keeper to make it 3-0.
It was a deserved lead for the Blues, and they defended the scoreline fantastically in the second half as they saw out the three points at St. James' Park.
FIFA 23 predicted score: Newcastle 0-3 Chelsea
Here are the full-time match stats:
FIFA 23 predicts that Chelsea could produce an excellent performance on Saturday, with a whirlwind first half securing a 3-0 win against Newcastle in the simulation. Sterling's pace caused problems all afternoon for the Magpies, whilst the hosts struggled to get a sniff of goal thanks to a blunt defensive display from the Blues' backline.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments.
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