Newcastle United have the chance to move up to seventh in the Premier League table this evening as they travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea.
The Magpies head into this match in strong form with a run of one loss in eight matches in all competitions, whilst they are also four points above the Blues in the division.
Eddie Howe's side are coming off the back of an emphatic 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at St. James' Park last time out in the top-flight, thanks to goals from Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Tino Livramento.
The English head coach looks set to be forced to make at least one change to the starting XI that lined up on Tyneside in their last match, given the latest injury news.
Latest Chelsea vs Newcastle injury news
England international Kieran Trippier, who started against Wolves, will not be available for selection in London this evening after he sustained an injury.
The former Atletico Madrid star was forced off towards the start of the second half against the Old Gold with a calf problem, and the right-back will now be out of action for this clash with Chelsea.
Lewis Hall, meanwhile, will not be preparing for action tonight as the versatile midfielder is ineligible to face his parent club. Nick Pope, Joelinton, and Callum Wilson are also set to watch on from the sidelines as they remain out with long-term injuries.
Newcastle, however, are not the only side with injury issues to deal with as Mauricio Pochettino will not be able to call upon a number of his first-team stars.
Carney Chukwuemeka, Reece James, Benoit Badiashile and Christopher Nkunku all remain out with their respective knocks, whilst Conor Gallagher is a doubt through illness.
The Blues have been hit with two new injury blows, though, as Ben Chilwell and Levi Colwill – who both started their last game against Brentford – have both been ruled out of this clash with the Magpies.
Chilwell's absence – along with Colwill who can cover in that role – means that Pochettino will either need to play Malo Gusto out of position, on his weaker foot, at left-back or unleash Marc Cucurella, who has not played a minute of competitive football since 10th December against Everton.
Howe must now look to exploit this potential weakness down Chelsea's left-side by unleashing Livramento at right-back to replace the injured Trippier and Harvey Barnes on the flank over Jacob Murphy.
Why Harvey Barnes should start over Jacob Murphy
The former Norwich City star started on the right wing against Wolves last time out and struggled throughout the match, in spite of his team's comfortable win.
Murphy only completed 55% (11/20) of his attempted passes in his 70 minutes on the pitch for the Magpies, and did not create a single chance for his teammates.
The 29-year-old forward, who also failed to score, left a lot to be desired with his work out of possession as Wolves players beat him in five of their eight duels against the winger.
He has now gone nine matches without a goal or an assist to show for his efforts in the final third in all competitions, which does not suggest that the attacker is likely to be a difference-maker against the Blues tonight.
Barnes, who has scored one goal in his last five Premier League matches, should now be unleashed in his place to provide more of a threat at the top end of the pitch.
Appearances
34
36
Goals
13
Four
Big chances created
Five
Three
Assists
One
Two
As you can see in the table above, the former Leicester City whiz caught the eye with 14 goal contributions in 34 top-flight appearances for the Foxes last season, whilst Murphy only managed six in 36 matches.
These statistics, and their aforementioned form of late, suggest that Barnes has the potential to offer more quality than the lifelong Newcastle supporter on the right wing, to take advantage of Chelsea's injuries at left-back.
Alongside the English forward, Howe must also unleash Livramento at right-back to provide an overlap threat to make life for Cucurella or Gusto as difficult as possible.
The stats that show why Livramento should start
The former Chelsea academy star is a dynamic full-back who has the engine, determination, and quality to push on and support Barnes in the final third.
Those qualities were on full display in the 90th minute against Wolves as he powered his way into the box before nudging the ball into the bottom corner for his first goal for Newcastle.
The 21-year-old defender, who was once hailed as a "baller" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, has only provided one assist in 29 appearances for the Magpies this season.
However, it is worth noting that he has only started seven Premier League games and has often been deployed as a left-back – away from his natural position.
Even still, the young dynamo ranks within the top 28% of full-backs in the division for shot-creating actions (2.24) per 90, and the top 14% for progressive carries (2.95) per 90 this season, which shows that he has provided quality in possession.
Chelsea Youth League
2
0
1
Chelsea U18
22
1
6
Chelsea U23
30
3
8
Livramento's statistics for Chelsea at youth level, as shown in the table above, show that he has the potential to provide excellent creativity from a right-back, or wing-back depending on the system, role.
With Trippier out, Howe must get a naturally right-footed player in his place to make the most of Chelsea's issues at left-back, with Chilwell and Colwill both unavailable to play for the hosts tonight.
Livramento and Barnes could use their direct play and attacking threat to cause constant problems for Gusto or Cucurella – depending on who Pochettino selects – to, potentially, win the match for Newcastle in that key battle on the pitch.
Therefore, the head coach must unleash both of them down the right side in place of Trippier – forced out through injury – and Murphy – after his poor display last time out against Wolves.
