Steve McClaren has just announced the Newcastle side for the tough game at Stamford Bridge this afternoon and as we suspected – it’s an unchanged side from the one that did so well last Saturday in beating West Brom 1-0.
And the subs bench is strengthened significantly from last week with Lascelles, Colback and Manu Riviere all coming back.
Colback and Riviere are back from injury and Lascelles is back from his one game suspension.
So Rolando Aarons who had a good game at left back last week keeps his place and keeps Jack Colback on the bench.
Teams:
Chelsea (4-2-3-1): Thibaut Courtois; Branislav Ivanovic, Gary Cahill, John Terry (c), Cesar Azpilicueta; Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas; Pedro, Willian, Eden Hazard; Diego Costa
Substitutes: Asmir Begovic, Baba Rahman, John Obi Mikel, Rueben Loftus-Cheek, Bertrand Traore, Kenedy, Loic Remy
Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Rob Elliot; Daryl Janmaat, Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini (c), Rolando Aarons; Cheick Tiote, Jonjo Shelvey; Moussa Sissoko, Georginio Wijnaldum, Andros Townsend; Aleksandar Mitrovic
Substitutes: Karl Darlow, Jamaal Lascelles, Jack Colback, Henri Saivet, Ayoze Perez, Emmanuel Riviere, Seydou Doumbia
Referee: Roger East (Wiltshire)
The weekend did not start off well for Newcastle with Sunderland getting a surprise but deserved 2-1 home win against an off-color Manchester United side – and the Black Cats and are now just one point behind us.
At the time of writing West Brom are also winning 1-0 at Everton and could possibly get a surprise win there this afternoon – after we easily beat them last week.
It will now be very important that Newcastle now get something out of this game today if we are to remain out of the bottom three for the next two and a half weeks.
This is what manager Steve McClaren has said about the game today:
“It’s a problem we’ve had all season.” “It is down to the way we play – we tend to play on the front foot, which is good when you’re at home, but away we’ve been exposed and haven’t ground out enough results.
“If two or three of our away games had been draws then we would have ground out a few more points and we would be in a slightly better situation.”
“It is something we need to address because we can’t afford to rely on our home form, because then the pressure on those games will just become too much.”
“In our home games we are starting to get a consistency in our performance and the way we play. “We need to start transferring that to our away games and picking up points away from home – we owe it to the fans.”
Less than one in three fans think we can get the win today at Stamford Bridge.
Howay The Lads!!
445 comments so far
Ibizatoon
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #81Oh give over. Oh right, hey already have.
Has Steve come back out the tunnel yet?
colwell
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #82Haha Aarons at LB
JP...from The Rock
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #83Here we go… FFS ALREADY LOSING 2-0 inside 10 minutes!!!
SUTTY1978
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #84Not the best start…
toonbrother
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #85relegation here we come
gorgonzola ( former Pecorino former to gorgonzola)
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #86Night lads….a mauling on the go….. 6:0 final score…
Take A Chancel On Me
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:39 PM
Comment #87Aarons you prat
Ron Knee
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #88Can we throw in the towel now?
ilovetoon8788
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #89Lol.. Nothing to say. Game over. Hope we don’t turn up like this at our next game or we are relegated.
Hail Wor Ashley
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #90HAHAHAHAHA! Wait all week for this.
Aarons has shown he’s too casual once too many times in his career at LB already, hook him and never play him there again.
We’re going down. Biggest contrast between home and away form I’ve ever seen.
Think I’ll go to gym early.
Bluggen
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #91i guess thats what happens when u play a LW at fullback
MAUTITOON
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #92Aaron’s career over here
MacToon
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #93Back in Old Blighty Lilo? Enjoy the weather, it’s still better than our football – lol
SUTTY1978
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #94This ref is being a dick
JP...from The Rock
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #95Aarons is not a LB! I don’t care if he did well against a shite West Brom he shouldnot be playing there against Chelsea!
colwell
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:40 PM
Comment #96Love how when we win a game (rare) a lot of fans think we will beat everyone you do realise we are shite?
toonbrother
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:41 PM
Comment #97worst defence in the league
£30 Million spent on players
£0 spent on defenders
#factsonly
MAUTITOON
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:41 PM
Comment #98where r we in the table now?>
Sliema
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:41 PM
Comment #99You have to feel for Aarons. Another kid thrown under the bus. Playing at left back because the club are still too thick to buy defenders.
TacoFlavoredKisses ForMyBen-arfa
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:42 PM
Comment #100saylor at cb, arrons at lb. If maca isnt fired now, he never will be.
any blogger who applauded arrrons and saylor last week should be embarrassed. WE played against a team who didnt have the ball or bring it forward, neither were tested all game.
ilovetoon8788
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:42 PM
Comment #101As long as we put in effort today that would be OK. We are usual jekyll and Hyde performance the entire season so far.
reilly
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:42 PM
Comment #102that was over quick.
Dingo†®
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:43 PM
Comment #103oh dear oh dear oh dear
manxpie
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:43 PM
Comment #104it doesn’t matter if ya a LB or LW not being able to pass a ball 5 yards is ridiculous
RUNAWAY777
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:44 PM
Comment #105Pure shit this team and manager
NoahJ
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:44 PM
Comment #106we were never going to win this, so let’s not lose our minds now that we’re well on our way to doing so.
today wouldn’t be half as bad if sunderland didn’t get a shock victory against man u. Let’s be thankful norwich didn’t win after being 2-0 up quite late.
if we retain home form, we’ll be fine
anthc
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:44 PM
Comment #107Mclaren said we’ll know in the first 20 mins what game its going to be. Well steve the first 10 mins is enough, an absolute mauling is on the cards. That mistake will crush aarons confidence. The poor lad shouldnt be playing there.
Ron Knee
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:44 PM
Comment #108Poor away supporters.
colwell
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:46 PM
Comment #109OMG
MAUTITOON
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #11010 nil this
catchy in norway
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #111wow
toonbrother
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #112OMG
COLO = PURE TRASH!!!!!!
OMG
SUTTY1978
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #113Awful, awful Coloccini
ilovetoon8788
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #114Saylor and colo shouldnt be on the pitch today.
Ron Knee
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #115Could be a new record.
manxpie
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #116unbelievable!!!
Dingo†®
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #117get tiote off will you… feting tractor
JP...from The Rock
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:47 PM
Comment #118Feeling sick now! Obly 15 min gone what a joke of a club we always are!! Why can’t we ever find and ounce of consistency? We are awful and to think I was hoping for a draw lol
Toonboy
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:48 PM
Comment #119McClaren out
MAUTITOON
Feb 13, 2016 at 5:48 PM
Comment #120fans leaving already