Chelsea welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday as they continue to push on up the league table under Frank Lampard. It will be a battle of the inexperienced and the experienced in the dugout. Steve Bruce may not be highly rated, but he has now managed over 400 Premier League matches and has already proven this season that he can get shock results. The Magpies have been underwhelming, but they have managed to beat Tottenham and Manchester United. This underlines the danger they can pose to the home side.
Interesting stats
- No player has scored more goals than Tammy Abraham in the top four divisions in England. He has scored 20, alongside Sergio Aguero, Teemu Pukki and James Collins.
- Despite their inconsistency, Newcastle have kept three clean sheets in the Premier League. This is the joint most in the division with seven other teams.
Key men
The exciting winger has burst into form since his return from injury, as he continues to enhance his growing reputation. He has managed a goal contribution in every game that he has played in for Chelsea this season. As things stand, he has contributed one goal and three assists, but his overall threat is there for all to see. Against Southampton, the England international attempted two shots and created three chances, one of which was an assist. He adds dynamism and unpredictability to the Blues’ attack, which has generated an extra dimension to Lampard’s team. The youngster was praised for his application during the international break, as he starred for the England Under-21s. It would have been easy for a player that has featured at senior level to take it easy, but he saw it as another opportunity into prove himself. Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have stolen the headlines. However, Hudson-Odoi could be the greatest talent of the three. He will cause problems for a robust Newcastle team this weekend.
Allan Saint-Maximin
For all of the excitement around Chelsea, their defence has been struggling to cope with restricting space available to the opposition attackers. After their opening day defeat, Jose Mourinho was very critical of how open the team were. Although they have improved their shape since then, they have kept only one clean sheet in the Premier League. Newcastle will look to exploit that and the exciting Allan Saint-Maximin will be key to their approach. The Frenchman completed four dribbles and created two chances against Manchester United. He will be frustrating to watch at times, but he has real quality and he can cause problems for opposition defences. For a team devoid of creativity, the 22-year-old is key.