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Newcastle United Vs Chelsea: Official Match thread


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Newcastle v Chelsea

 

St James' Park

Sunday, 22 April

Kick-off: 1330 BST

 

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Newcastle's Michael Owen has suffered a slight groin strain and will not make his comeback, while fellow forward Shola Ameobi remains short of fitness.

 

Shay Given is still nursing a groin problem, but Kieron Dyer, Scott Parker and Antoine Sibierski could all return.

 

Chelsea have no new injury worries with Arjen Robben still short of a return after suffering knee ligament damage.

 

Striker Andriy Shevchenko is set to figure having shaken off the minor leg injury that kept him out in midweek.

 

 

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Newcastle (from): Harper, Srnicek, Solano, Carr, Babayaro, Taylor, Bramble, Onyewu, Moore, Ramage, Butt, Parker, Milner, Emre, Dyer, N'Zogbia, Martins, Sibierski, Luque, Carroll, LuaLua.

 

Chelsea (from): Cech, Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Diarra, Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, A Cole, Bridge, Obi, Makelele, Lampard, Essien, Ballack, Wright-Phillips, Drogba, Shevchenko, J Cole, Kalou.

 

 

 

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Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder:

"This year, we have done very well against the top four teams.

"We got a very good draw at home to Manchester United, a creditable draw with Arsenal recently and of course we beat Liverpool.

 

"Now we are taking on the double Premiership champions. We have played them twice already and I do believe in both games, we were unfortunate to lose 1-0, but we did.

 

"Now we have a third opportunity not to put a spanner in their Premiership aspirations, but to look after ourselves.

 

"We have not had the best of runs ourselves just lately and there would be no greater boost than taking points from Chelsea on Sunday."

 

 

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho on defender Ricardo Carvalho:

"It is Ricardo's best season with me.

"For a long period there was no Petr Cech behind him, no John Terry alongside and no Michael Essien in front and he was amazing.

 

"He deserved a rest at West Ham but the central defender position is difficult to change during a game."

 

 

 

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BIG-MATCH FACTS

NEWCASTLE UNITED prepare for the ominous task of halting a resurgent Chelsea, who are still in the hunt for all four major honours this season. The underperforming Tyneside club are completing their 38th consecutive season without a major piece of silverware, and could even miss out on European football this time around.

 

Glenn Roeder's team have managed just one win in seven Premiership outings, failing to score in five of them. Indeed they've not won, nor scored in their last three home League matches.

 

The Magpies entertained Chelsea in the last game of last season, and won 1-0 with a 73rd minute volley from Titus Bramble. It won Newcastle a place in the Intertoto Cup and was the first time under Jose Mourinho that Chelsea had lost consecutive League games, having been beaten by Blackburn in their previous outing. The north east club have won three and drawn one of their last four home Premiership meetings with the Londoners.

 

CHELSEA maintained an incredible run of 20 matches without defeat in all competitions by notching their ninth straight Premiership victory in Wednesday's 1-4 triumph at West Ham to keep the pressure up on front runners Manchester United.

 

Mourinho's Carling Cup winners have a maximum of nine matches remaining - and three of the last four could be against the Red Devils. They already have the FA Cup final booked against them at the new Wembley, but if the home League meeting on Wednesday, 9 May is to be a competitive fixture they will probably need to return from the north-east with their 25th victory of this Premiership campaign. That would also keep the Blues flying high ahead of Wednesday's home clash with Liverpool in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.

 

The Blues travel in search of a 50th League victory over Newcastle, and are plotting to make it three wins out of three against the Magpies this season, having won the reverse League fixture 1-0, and then the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup at St James' Park, also 0-1. Didier Drogba scored both winners. The Londoners are aiming to 'double' Newcastle for the second time in the Premiership, and first since 1999-2000. They've already enjoyed home and away victories over Wigan, Blackburn, Charlton, Portsmouth, Manchester City, Sheffield United, Watford and West Ham, while the Magpies have been beaten home and away by Bolton and Fulham.

 

 

REFEREE

Mark Halsey (Lancashire)

 

 

NEWCASTLE UNITED

 

 

Club stats

Fixtures

Going into the weekend: 12th 41 points

(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)

1. Will want to at least match last season's seventh placed finish, but eight points short at present.

 

2. Need to score two goals to total 800 all time in the Premier League.

 

3. One goal shy of conceding 650 in Premiership history.

 

4. Kept only six clean sheets in the top tier this term. Tottenham have managed fewer than any other club (five).

 

5. One of two clubs not to have conceded in stoppage time in a Premiership game this season. Tottenham is the other.

 

6. Gained two points out of the last nine at home, courtesy of goalless draws with Middlesbrough and Arsenal. Sandwiched between was a 0-1 defeat by Manchester City.

 

7. Not scored in 290 minutes (four hours 50 minutes) of Premiership football at St James' Park, since Nol Solano scored from the spot in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool on 10 February.

 

8. The season closes out with matches against Reading (a), Blackburn (h) and Watford (a).

 

CHELSEA

 

 

Going into the weekend: 2nd 78 points

(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premiership fixtures)

1. Won 17 and drawn three of the last 20 in all competitions, since losing 2-0 at Liverpool on 20 January.

 

2. Won 13 more Premiership games than Newcastle (24 to 11).

 

3. Won the last nine Premiership matches with clean sheets in all eight of them, and in 10 of the last 12.

 

4. Conceded one goal in 882 minutes (14 hours 42 minutes) of Premiership football (West Ham's consolation by Carlos Tevez on Wednesday).

 

5. Had 82 points after 33 games in each of the last two seasons, but on 78 this time around.

 

6. Won 24 times in the top division so far this season - only Manchester United have gained more victories (26).

 

7. Opened the scoring in more Premiership matches than any other club (27), and failed to score in two, and only Manchester United can match the latter of those two statistics.

 

8. Kept 20 clean sheets in the Premiership (won 19, drawn one), and conceded the opening goal in only five top flight games - better than any other club on both counts.

 

9. Lost only one of the last 11 League games on the road (to Liverpool), and won the last five (against Charlton, Portsmouth, Manchester City, Watford and West Ham). Kept more Premiership clean sheets away from home than any other club (10).

 

10. The remaining League fixtures are against Bolton (h), Arsenal (a), Manchester United (h) and Everton (h).

 

 

KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES

NEWCASTLE UNITED

 

 

Squad profiles

Obafemi MARTINS is Newcastle's top scorer with 17 goals - 11 of which are Premiership goals.

 

Kieron DYER is a hat trick shy of 50 career club goals.

 

There are three ex-Chelsea players in the Newcastle squad.

 

Celestine BABAYARO made 197 appearances (132 in the Premiership) and scored eight goals (five League) for Chelsea, between June 1997 and January 2005, when he made a £1m move to St James' Park.

 

Damien DUFF made 125 appearances (81 in the Premiership) and scored 19 goals (14 League) in three years with the Londoners before joining Newcastle in July 2006 in a £5m transfer.

 

Scott PARKER made 28 appearances (15 in the Premiership) and scored one League goal in 18 months at Stamford Bridge before arriving on Tyneside in a £6.5m move in June 2005.

 

CHELSEA

 

 

Squad profiles

Didier DROGBA is the highest scoring Premiership player this season with 31 goals, 19 of which are League goals. The Ivory Coast International leads Manchester United's Cristiano RONALDO by three at the top of the table for the Barclays Golden Boot award.

 

Frank LAMPARD is the only remaining player to have started every one of Chelsea's Premiership matches this season.

 

If he participates, John Obi MIKEL will be playing on his 20th birthday.

 

If he plays, Shaun WRIGHT-PHILLIPS will be making his 50th Premiership appearance for Chelsea.

 

 

 

LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME

Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea

7 May 2006 - Ref: Mike Riley

Newcastle scorer: Bramble 73

Sent Off: Carr (Newcastle) 75

 

 

THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE

Chelsea 1-0 Newcastle United

13 December 2006 - Ref: Phil Dowd

Chelsea scorer: Drogba 74

 

 

HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS

Home and away

League*: Newcastle 44 wins, Chelsea 49, Draws 32

Prem: Newcastle 7 wins, Chelsea 13, Draws 7

 

at Newcastle only

League*: Newcastle 34 wins, Chelsea 13, Draws 15

Prem: Newcastle 7 wins, Chelsea 3, Draws 3

* includes Premiership

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

 

It would be karma.

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

I fully support that notion and am fully behind Chelsea for the title.

 

Think I'd sacrifice 3 points here if it meant that ManUtd ended up with fuck all this year.

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

I fully support that notion and am fully behind Chelsea for the title.

 

Think I'd sacrifice 3 points here if it meant that ManUtd ended up with fuck all this year.

 

I'm a bit torn :nufc:

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

Didn't realise that, know who I'm supporting today! :nufc:

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

They lost a 13 point lead to Arsenal in 98.

 

If we'd won it 97 then everyone would have forgotten 96.

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

I wouldn't mind losing for that tbh.

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I am going to get slaughtered for this but if we do lose at least it could mean Man U losing a 12 point lead at the top and possibly losing the title.

 

I wouldn't mind losing for that tbh.

 

:nufc:

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Steven Taylor a bright spot of the season. :nufc:

 

Correspondents with the verdict of Anal's sidekick who is quoted in the Sunday Sun:

 

"Steven's in fine form at the moment, the best form of his Newcastle career," said Roeder.
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