The best news as far as Chelsea are concerned going into tomorrow’s Premier League clash against Newcastle United at St James’ Park is that Petr Cech is available for selection after recovering from a calf strain.
Also, our diminutive magician Juan Mata hasn’t shown any lasting damage after picking up an ankle knock during the 2-2 draw against Reading midweek and is fit to play.
David Luiz is still out of action and Eden Hazard will complete the final game of his three-match suspension, whilst John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses are away competing at the African Cup of Nations for Nigeria.
Newcastle and their manager Alan Pardew seem to favour the French connection judging by their previous and recent signings, and he’s set to hand debuts to Moussa Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran. Fellow Frenchman Sylvain Marveaux is fit after recovering from a foot injury.
Tomorrow’s game is a tough one to call as both teams have had their respective troubles this season but many are expecting that they will be reinvigorated after bolstering their squad. Meanwhile, the bad feeling around Chelsea remains as the fans have never felt more distant from the club and will never back Rafael Benitez, but we do have a better away record than we do at home and I hope this stands in our favour.
Predicted Line-up:
P. Cech
C. Azpilicueta – G. Cahill – J. Terry (c) – A. Cole
Ramires – F. Lampard
Oscar – J. Mata – R. Bertrand
D. Ba
