JAKARTA - Chelsea will be an easy opponent for Newcastle United in the English Premier League duel at St James' Park Stadium, Saturday, December 20, 2025 WIB. Chelsea is on the rise even though in the last meeting of the two teams, Newcastle won 2-0.
Newcastle and Chelsea both achieved positive results in midweek matches. They ensured their qualification to the English League Cup semi-finals after eliminating their opponents. Newcastle, who dramatically beat Fulham 2-1, also hopes to retain the trophy in this third-class competition even though in the top four they meet Manchester City.
After stepping into the semifinals, now the Magpies are focusing on the Premier League. The reason is, Newcastle faces a difficult opponent, Chelsea, who quickly bounced back after losing 2-1 to Atalanta in the Champions League.
Enzo Maresca's team immediately returned to the winning track by beating Everton 2-0 in the domestic competition. Furthermore, Chelsea, who came down with a reserve team, overcame Cardiff City's resistance 3-1 in the Carabao Cup.
Chelsea also has ambitions to maintain that positive trend when visiting Newcastle's headquarters. At least, they want to stay in the Champions League zone. With 28 points, Chelsea is threatened by Crystal Palace, Manchester United, Liverpool to Sunderland who are only two points behind.
Maresca is ready to bring out the best squad to target three points in the away game, although he said his team faced the 'worst situation in 48 hours'.
The reason is, the two-time Champions League champions have a difficult match when entering the festival period. How not, they will face Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Man City and Fulham in the London Derby.
This makes Chelsea want to maximize opportunities to meet targets before playing a match with a super-dense schedule before Christmas and New Year.
Striker Joao Pedro will return to the mainstay in the front line. He gets support from Alejendro Garnacho who is getting more and more after leaving Man Utd, Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer who were rested in the English League Cup match.
However, Chelsea actually has good capital when dealing with The Toon Army. They ranked fourth as the most productive team in the Premier League. Not only that, Chelsea is in the top position for clean sheets because they have never conceded during eight matches.
On the other hand, Newcastle returned to their own home with a less good match record so they are still struggling in the middle of the table. In the last match in the English League, Eddie Howe's team had to admit Sunderland's 1-0 advantage. The defeat made Newcastle unable to keep a clean sheet during the last nine matches in the domestic competition.
This makes Newcastle have to work hard to stop Chelsea's attack. The hosts are a bit weak in the back so Howe hopes full back Lewis Hall can return after missing out due to a hamstring. Likewise, Lewis Miley who was the star of the victory in the English League Cup will be the starter.
Meanwhile, in front, there is Nick Woltemade who is back to focus on dismantling Chelsea's defense. He has the support of the wing duo, Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga.
Midfielders Sandro Tonali, Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes will compete with Moises Caicedo who is back playing after serving a playing ban. Caicedo shoulder-to-shoulder with Enzo Fernandez who plays as a deep lying playmaker.
In the back, Reece James and Wesley Fofana will shoulder Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella. With the composition of the pillar players, Chelsea still has to work hard against Newcastle's fighting spirit who want to improve their ranking.
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