Eddie Howe admits to caring about Newcastle United’s attacking shortcomings as they put together to go to Chelsea within the Premier League on Sunday.
After taking 10 factors from their first 4 video games of the marketing campaign, Newcastle have since did not win any of their final 4, drawing two and dropping two.
They had been crushed 1-0 by Brighton and Hove Albion final trip, a recreation during which they fired off 21 pictures value 2.02 anticipated targets (xG), however solely hit the goal six occasions.
The Magpies have now gone over a month with out scoring from open play since a 3-1 defeat to Fulham in September, failing to web of their final two matches.
“We’re going via that spell the place we’re not scoring. That’s all the time a tough interval for any workforce,” Howe stated as he regarded forward to Sunday’s journey to Stamford Bridge.
“The optimistic is we’ve got been creating probabilities. We had the moments and possibly in earlier video games we haven’t had these alternatives.
“I all the time consider if you happen to proceed to create you’re going to get your rewards. I believe that’s what we’ve got to work in the direction of.
“We are able to’t really feel sorry for ourselves. We now have to get on with it on the coaching floor and concentrate on these massive video games.”
Getting set for Sunday pic.twitter.com/zmMN2lKcJy
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 23, 2024
Chelsea, in the meantime, suffered simply their second Premier League defeat beneath Enzo Maresca final week, taking place 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield.
Their final three league defeats have come in opposition to final season’s high three sides (additionally 0-5 versus Arsenal in April, 0-2 in opposition to Manchester Metropolis in August). The Blues are unbeaten in 19 video games in opposition to all different groups (13 wins, six attracts), scoring 54 targets throughout these matches.
Maresca acquired a double increase regardless of the consequence at Anfield, as Reece James and Romeo Lavia returned from damage lay-offs, and the Italian was delighted to see them again in motion.
“I’m more than happy,” he stated of the duo. “I’m very pleased for Reece, for Romeo, for each of them. Hopefully they’ll keep match.
“There have been many positives, in all probability the one factor which wasn’t optimistic was the consequence.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chelsea – Nicolas Jackson
Jackson has been concerned in 13 targets in his final 13 Premier League appearances (9 targets, 4 assists). He additionally netted the opener in a 3-2 win over Newcastle again in March.
Newcastle United – Harvey Barnes
Barnes has been concerned in 4 targets in his final 5 away Premier League appearances (three targets, one help), scoring in his final two video games in London in opposition to Brentford and Fulham.
The one two Magpies gamers to attain in three in a row within the capital are Peter Beardsley in 1994 and Callum Wilson in 2020.
MATCH PREDICTION – CHELSEA WIN
Newcastle have gained two of their final 4 Premier League video games in opposition to Chelsea (one draw, one defeat), as many as they’d of their earlier 13 (one draw, 10 losses).
They’ve a poor report at Stamford Bridge, although, the place Chelsea have solely misplaced certainly one of their 29 Premier League matches in opposition to Newcastle (21 wins, seven attracts) – a 2-0 defeat in Could 2012 memorable for Papiss Cisse’s gorgeous volley.
Howe has gained two of his Premier League video games in opposition to Chelsea in control of Newcastle – solely Alan Pardew (4) has crushed the Blues extra within the competitors with the Magpies.
Howe additionally beat the Blues 4 occasions whereas with Bournemouth, that means he may turn into simply the third supervisor to win three Premier League video games in opposition to them with two totally different golf equipment, after Kenny Dalglish (Blackburn/Liverpool) and David Moyes (Everton/West Ham).
Nonetheless, since having fun with an eight-game unbeaten run in London within the Premier League between October 2022 and October 2023, Newcastle have misplaced 5 of their final seven video games within the capital (two wins), in order that they method Sunday’s contest as outsiders.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chelsea – 51.2%
Newcastle United – 25.8%
Draw – 23.1%
