Newcastle United vs Chelsea
Newcastle United and Chelsea are set to square off at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Wednesday as part of their ongoing pre-season tours in the United States.
The Magpies are coming off a thrilling 3-3 Club Friendly draw against Aston Villa, while the Blues managed to beat Brighton in a seven-goal thriller yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Like most Premier League clubs this summer, Newcastle United and Chelsea have been busy this transfer window, and they’re using the pre-season to integrate their newcomers, youngsters, and rotation players.
With the new season just around the corner, building chemistry and fitness are the top priorities for these two English top-flight teams, and a win would be the icing on the cake.
Talking Points
Newcastle’s new boys settling in
The Magpies strengthened their ranks with the additions of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes, and the fans got a glimpse of how they fit into Eddie Howe’s plans this upcoming season.
Howe experimented with his new 3-4-2-1 formation against Aston Villa, but it didn’t work as they found themselves down 2-0 inside 11 minutes, and it felt like it should’ve been more.
Aston Villa ran circles around Newcastle United because they were so open in the full-back areas. Howe eventually had to ditch his back three, and Harvey Barnes, who joined the club for around £39 million from Leicester City, actually almost scored a goal after coming on in the 70th minute to replace Matt Targett.
Elliot Anderson, in particular, stood out against the Villans. He pulled one back to cut into Aston Villa’s deficit before Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson eventually levelled the game for good. The 20-year-old looks noticeably bigger and stronger, and he is building a strong case as to why he should get more minutes this upcoming season.
Sandro Tonali, meanwhile, was largely anonymous against Aston Villa. However, he was solid in their 2-1 win over Rangers last week, registering an assist on Miguel Almiron’s first-half goal.
With Allan Saint-Maximin leaving for Al-Ahli, Anderson, Barnes, and Tonali will all have to step up moving forward, and so far, they have shown that they’re capable of doing so.
Pochettino’s plan coming together
Chelsea were given the slight edge against Newcastle United in the SBOTOP Club Friendly 2023 odds based on their recent performances.
The Blues have now won their first two games under Mauricio Pochettino, and they’ve created numerous Club Friendly 2023 highlights along the way.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men demolished Wrexham with a 5-0 scoreline on Thursday, which featured four different goalscorers: Ian Maatsen (brace), Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku, and Ben Chilwell.
Nkunku, who joined from RB Leipzig this summer, found himself back on the scoresheet when he scored the first goal against the 10-man Brighton, and he was followed suit by Mykhailo Mudryk, Conor Gallagher (again), and fellow summer signing Nicolas Jackson.
Levi Colwill is another name to look out for after he impressed against the Seagulls. With Wesley Fofana out indefinitely due to a torn ACL, the 20-year-old defender should be part of the regular plans at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea supporters now have reasons to be excited with these performances under Pochettino, who vowed to bring back the winning mentality of the team during his first press conference earlier this month.
History
Newcastle United and Chelsea last met on the final matchday of the 2022-23 Premier League campaign, where the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Anthony Gordon gave the Magpies the lead after nine minutes, but Chelsea drew level because of Kieran Trippier’s own goal 18 minutes later.
Gordon’s goal was Newcastle United’s 100th Premier League goal under Eddie Howe in his 65th match at the helm. Howe became the second-fastest head coach to reach the said milestone behind Kevin Keegan, who did it in 1994 in just 47 games.
The result meant that Newcastle United finished fourth in the table, confirming their Champions League comeback, while Chelsea ended up in 12th and in the bottom half of the standings for the first time since 1995-96.
That was also Frank Lampard’s last match as Chelsea boss after he took over on an interim basis in April following the departure of Graham Potter. Before his interim tenure, the Blues were actually managed by Lampard from 2019 to 2021 before Thomas Tuchel took over and eventually led the team to a Champions League title.
Newcastle United have gone undefeated against Chelsea in a single Premier League campaign for the first time since 2010-11 (D2). Prior to their May matchup, the Magpies beat the Blues 1-0 last November at St. James Park.
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