Sunday’s 2pm clash (UK time) kicks off a double-header against the Magpies, with a floodlit pre-halloween rendezvous at St James’ Park to come on Wednesday in the Carabao Cup. Two points separate the sides in the league after defeats for both last weekend, with Chelsea sixth in the table and the Geordies ninth.

The Blues’ defiant 2-1 loss came at Anfield, while Brighton won 1-0 at St James’ Park, inflicting a first home setback for Eddie Howe’s side this season. The Magpies are not the free-scoring unit of last term, notching more than one goal in just two of eight matches played and drawing a blank in the last two games, with no win in four.

Chelsea have beaten the Tynesiders on ten of their past 11 visits to the Bridge (drawing the other) with an aggregate score of 25-6. The visitors have returned home pointless after 12 of their last 19 league matches on the road.

Meanwhile, over the past 19 league games, the Blues have only been beaten by last season’s top three Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, registering 13 wins with 54 goals scored.

Team news

The short rest and preparation time between games will likely mean a repeat of the usual personnel changes following Conference League matches for this top-flight fixture.

Chelsea have been unbeaten in the past three weekend matches following European midweeks, though the last two have been draws.

Enzo Fernandez, Marc Cucurella and Renato Veiga all put in a lengthy shift on Thursday, suggesting the head coach may opt for Romeo Lavia in midfield and stick with last weekend’s full-backs Reece James and Malo Gusto. In central defence, the Italian must decide whether to reinstate Wesley Fofana - suspended, like Cucurella, at Anfield - or retain the height of Tosin Adarabioyo against one of the tallest teams in the league.

Going into the weekend, Chelsea have the league’s third-most-potent strikeforce with 17 goals – behind only Man City (19) and Tottenham (18) – and we have netted in seven successive games.

Cole Palmer has an amazing record on home soil in the top flight, recording 18 goals and five assists in his past 14 appearances at the Bridge in Blue. However, the Wythenshawe wonder was kept quieter at Anfield by Curtis Jones’ man-marking, a tactic Chelsea will surely encounter more regularly.

Nicolas Jackson broke the deadlock in last season’s 3-2 win against this weekend’s visitors and his sparkling current run has produced 13 goal contributions (nine goals, four assists) in 13 league games.

A bad habit the Londoners would do well to kick is conceding the first goal at home, something that has happened in three of our four league fixtures there this season.

Combined goals and assists in 2024/25

The history

Over the years these league fixtures in Newcastle have tended to go the hosts’ way and Papiss Cisse’s double in 2012 secured the Magpies’ only success at Stamford Bridge over the past 37 years.

The Blues’ 3-2 victory last season was clinched by Mudryk - who’d also scored against the Magpies in the League Cup - following a quick flicked goal by Jackson and Palmer’s slam home past Martin Dubravka.

Margins in the past were often more emphatic. Geoff Hurst was in charge when the Londoners knocked 10 past the Tynesiders across two games at Stamford Bridge in 1980 – a 4-0 in January followed by a 6-0 thumping in October. Both happened in Division Two, and the latter – Chris Waddle’s debut for the visitors – remains our biggest league win. Pat Nevin inspired another four-goal haul at home in 1983 at the same level.

For the greatest margin against Newcastle in the top flight we have to look at a game which took place 21 years ago, on 9 November 2003, on former Chelsea scout Sir Bobby Robson’s final visit to the Bridge. A devastating spell of three strikes and a sending off in 18 first-half minutes set Claudio Ranieri’s title-chasing Blues on course, before two late goals sealed the 5-0 win.

History looked likely to repeat itself in February 2016, under Guus Hiddink, until Andros Townsend grabbed a last-minute consolation to make the final score 5-1.

Know this…

Chelsea have beaten Newcastle 47 times in the league at the Bridge, more than any other visiting team, while scoring 152 goals, the most at home against any side except Everton (163).

The Blues have scored more league goals from fast breaks this season (three) than any team except Tottenham Hotspur (five).

Chelsea’s passing last Sunday was 88.1 per cent accurate, the highest by Premier League visitors to Anfield since records began in 2003/04.

Maresca’s team is the only one in Premier League history not to have fielded a player aged over 27 in the opening eight matches. The oldest to feature, aged 27, is Tosin Adarabioyo.

So far this campaign, Chelsea and Brighton are only the sides to have scored directly from a free-kick.

The Londoners’ first ever top-flight victory and clean sheet came in a 2-0 win at home to defending champions Newcastle on 23 September 1907.