(Football news) Despite the innumerable off-field issues, Chelsea will look to make it five consecutive Premier League wins in a row when they welcome Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Blues recently defeated Norwich City 3-1 while the Magpies are the in-form team at the moment and defeated Southampton 2-1 in their last match.
It's fair to say that there is a lot of uncertainty at the moment at Chelsea due to the sanctions placed at the club and it remains to be seen how it will affect their form in the weeks ahead. Thomas Tuchel’s team will be missing Ben Chilwell and Reece James due to injuries while Christian Pulisic, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are also doubtful due to illness. Andreas Christensen could feature at right back while Malang Sarr is expected to play left back if Alonso doesn’t recover in time.
The likes of N'Golo Kante, Antonio Rudiger and Hakim Ziyech should be back in the starting lineup as well as Mason Mount and Kai Havertz although Romelu Lukaku is expected to be benched for the fixture. As for Newcastle, Jamal Lewis, Callum Wilson, Kieran Trippier and Isaac Hayden are injured but Bruno Guimaraes, Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton are expected to feature.
Eddie Howe could also select Federico Fernandez and Emil Krafth while Fabian Schar has overcome the groin injury and could also potentially start the match. Javi Manquillo could start at right back if Krafth fails his fitness test. Despite the off-field distractions, Chelsea are expected to secure the three points in this fixture but Newcastle won’t make it easy for the hosts.
Arsenal will hope to strengthen their top four place with a win over Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Gunners had a narrow 3-2 win over Watford in their last match while Leicester overcame Rennes in the UEFA Conference League. In team news, Emile Smith Rowe is expected to return to the squad after recovering from COVID-19 but Takehiro Tomiyasu remains doubtful and will be replaced by Cedric Soares. Alexandre Lacazette is expected to be picked over Eddie Nketiah for the number 9 spot.
As for Leicester City, Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Ryan Bertrand and Timothy Castagne are out injured while Ricardo Pereira faces a race against time to be fit in the match. Wesley Fofana will be unavailable for selection after a positive COVID-19 test but he is expected to feature in the 2nd leg of the match against Rennes. Despite the quality between the two sides, Arsenal are expected to secure the three points and consolidate their place in the top four of the Premier League.
Also read: Man Utd face tough test against Spurs while Liverpool take on Brighton
