Newcastle United face a tough task if they are to get back to winning ways this weekend when they head to Stamford Bridge for a Sunday afternoon clash against Chelsea.
Eddie Howe’s men have not won in the Premier League since the 2-1 victory at Wolves in mid-September, with a run of two draws and two defeats from their past four matches meaning they will start the weekend ninth in the table.
Newcastle will be up against a Chelsea side that will likely make a raft of changes following their 4-1 win against Greek side Panathinaikos in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, which saw boss Enzo Maresca field an entirely different XI to the one last lost to Liverpool in the Premier League last weekend.
In-form Blues attacker Cole Palmer has not been included in Chelsea’s European squad, meaning he will is set to return to the Blues side this weekend, with Howe knowing just how dangerous the England man will be.
How Eddie Howe plans to counter Cole Palmer threat
Palmer has netted six times and laid on five assists in the Premier League so far this term and while Howe appreciates just how good the 22-year-old has been in recent months, he knows that he cannot focus solely on stopping him.
“Cole’s been excellent this season and last season,” Howe said in his pre-match press conference, as per the Chronicle. “His numbers are very, very good. We’re certainly aware of his strengths and what he brings to Chelsea.
“But again, they’re one of those teams that if you focus on one player, they have other players, that will really hurt you as well.
“So it’s about getting the information across to the players that we need to. As always with these games you have to bring a strength and be a threat yourself. And I do believe we have the players to do that but we certainly need to be defensively solid.”
Palmer’s record against Newcastle
Newcastle’s trip to Stamford Bridge is the first part of a double-header against Chelsea, with the Londoners heading up to St James’ Park on Wednesday evening for their Carabao Cup last-16 side.
The Magpies got a first-hand look at how Palmer is able to take over a game earlier this year, when he scored and provided an assist in Chelsea’s 3-2 win in last season’s corresponding fixture back in March.
| Matches played vs NUFC | Wins | Goals | Assists |
| 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
That was Palmer’s first goal against Howe’s side, with the England man drawing a blank when the Magpies beat Chelsea 4-1 last November, while he also failed to net when the two sides met in last season’s Carabao Cup quarter-final.
With Premier League title contenders Arsenal visiting St James’ Park next weekend, this week marks a key point of Newcastle’s season, with Howe revealing that striker Alexander Isak is fully fit this weekend, although Callum Wilson will miss these next three games after suffering a setback in his recovery from injury.
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