Despite both teams having the necessary quality in their side, their indifferent form makes it difficult to predict a clear-cut winner from this fixture.
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Chelsea have a difficult assignment on Monday night against Newcastle United in the Premier League. Both teams have been experiencing indifferent form so far this season. The Blues are unable to make the most of the huge amount they spent on players in the last summer transfer window and have struggled to find any sort of momentum. On the other hand, Newcastle have failed to build on the impressive campaign they had last time around.
After qualifying for the Champions League last season, the Magpies are struggling in the Premier League and are far behind in the race to finish in the top four positions. Despite both teams having the necessary quality in their side, their indifferent form makes it difficult to predict a clear-cut winner from this fixture. Ahead of the Newcastle United clash, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino provided a squad update, explaining the fitness situations of Levi Colwill, Ben Chilwell and Conor Gallagher.
“So far, no [players are back]. It’s the same situation as last week. You all know the list of injured players and also it now has Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell. Gallagher also hasn’t been training because he has had a virus. That is the news from the medical team. We will see tomorrow or Saturday if he [Gallagher] will have the possibility to train. The problem with this situation is that [after an illness] the energy is down and you need time to recover. We will see if he can be available and ask what is the situation. Can he play? Play only a few minutes? We will need to assess him in the next few days,” Pochettino, quoted on the club’s website, said at his pre-match press conference.
Providing an update on Chilwell’s injury, he said, “We need to wait until he has seen a specialist. We hope it is not a big issue but in this moment, after eight or nine months at the club, I prefer to be cautious and wait. It was his knee and we only found out after the game [against Brentford]. It was the same with Colwill. We finished with two players who then couldn’t train. Levi’s problem is his toe.”
Newcastle will not be an easy opponent for any side to face, however, Pochettino stated that he is focused on his team and is keen to find the right balance. “The most important thing is to work on us. I am concentrated on our performance and the way we are going to deal, now, without two or three starters from the last game. So we’ll need different solutions to deal with these injuries,” he explained.
The manager added: “Maybe we see if (Marc) Cucurella arrives in good condition or if we need to change the way we play. We have been focused in the last three days on providing the team the best balance with all the possibility to be consistent and perform in the way we need to perform. Of course, we know Newcastle and can assess Newcastle, but the most important thing is the balance we are going to find the balance in the team, be consistent and perform in the way we need to perform.”
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