Chelsea have struggled in these intense atmospheres over recent seasons, and I think that their temperament will be tested again on their latest trip to St James’ Park. Chelsea lost 2-0 in this fixture last season with the Blues picking up three cards in that game, including a red card for Nicolas Jackson.

Chelsea committed 13 fouls on that occasion and are averaging 11.6 fouls committed per game this campaign. The Blues have picked up 2+ cards in nine of their 16 Premier League games this term, and face off against a physical Newcastle side who could bully the Blues at points in this contest.

Eddie Howe’s side have drawn 2+ cards from their opponents in 10 of their 16 Premier League matches this season, including each of their last three games.

As well as that 2-0 defeat in the league at St James’ Park last season, Chelsea faced off against Newcastle in the EFL Cup (2 cards) and at Stamford Bridge (6 cards). These records suggest that the Blues will continue to be petulant in these environments, a natural extension of having such a young squad.

Newcastle are seeing 13.38 corners per game at St James’ Park this season - more than any other side at home in the league. Newcastle are averaging 7.50 corners per game themselves, which is another metric they lead the league in at home - and suggests that the Magpies may be able to cover most of this line on their own.

Chelsea are averaging 4.25 corners per game on the road in the Premier League this season, which could be set to rise with Newcastle conceding 5.88 corners per game. Chelsea are seeing exactly 9.0 corners per game on the road in the Premier League this term, and Newcastle are likely to force a rise in this metric with how central set pieces are to their approach.

Corners and balls into the box could be Chelsea’s undoing here as well. The Blues are expected to line up with a centre back partnership of Fofana and Chalobah who are decent defenders but will be dwarfed by the height of Woltemade and some of the other Newcastle players such as Schar and Thiaw. I’d expect Newcastle to target Chelsea in this area regularly, as Leeds did a few weeks ago.

Palmer returned to scoring form for Chelsea last weekend as they beat Everton 2-0, with the Blues’ talisman netting the first goal after being fed through smartly by Malo Gusto, who scored the second in Chelsea’s comfortable victory over the Toffees.

Palmer also found the target against Bournemouth in his previous start as Enzo Maresca attempts to manage his minutes on his return to fitness. Palmer was rested for Chelsea’s 3-1 win over Cardiff during the week, and is expected to get at least 60 minutes here - which was long enough for him to find the target in each of his last two starts.

Palmer had 126 shots across his 37 Premier League appearances last season (3.55 per 90) with 51 of these attempts finding the target (1.44 per 90). Palmer had three shots and found the target in this fixture, despite Chelsea having to play most of the game with 10 men. He scored against the Magpies in the league meeting between the sides at Stamford Bridge, and can be relied on to find the target at least once here.

Fabian Schar committed a foul and was shown a yellow card in this fixture last season, and is in for a difficult afternoon against Joao Pedro. It’s clear that the former Brighton man is not a number nine, but Chelsea don’t really have any other options to lead the line with Delap injured and Guiu still developing.

Joao Pedro playing as the nine actually aids our selection a little as he likes to drop into pockets and is very strong when it comes to winning fouls, often dragging centre backs out of position with his movement. Joao Pedro has won 29 fouls across his 15 starts in the Premier League this season (2.06 per 90) - more than any other Chelsea player.

Schar has committed 10 fouls across his six starts in the Premier League this term (1.37 per 90) and is likely to struggle against a player of the profile of Joao Pedro with the 33 year old having to track the Brazilian when he drops a bit deeper. Schar committed a foul and was shown a yellow card in Newcastle’s win over Fulham in the EFL Cup during the week.

Woltemade was very unfortunate last weekend as he headed into his own net in the Tyne-Wear Derby, with that goal being enough for Sunderland to get over the line. Woltemade has adapted well to the Premier League with five goals across his 13 starts, and I think he’ll get a few chances to add to that record here.

Woltemade’s main asset here will be his height. Chalobah and Fofana are one of the shortest centre back duos in the Premier League, and could struggle with Newcastle launching balls into the box. Chelsea failed to deal with Leeds who went with this approach a few weeks ago, with Calvert Lewin and Nmecha tormenting Tosin and Badiashille on that occasion.

With that in mind, it may be worth exploring markets for Woltemade to have headed shots or headed shots on target. 10 of his 23 shots in the Premier League have been headed efforts, and he’s likely to get opportunities in the air with Newcastle winning more corners than any other side at home this season (7.50 per game).

Cucurella got a rare rest during the week as Chelsea progressed to the semi finals of the EFL Cup with a 3-1 win over Cardiff. Cucurella missed that game due to suspension, and is regularly one of the more combative and aggressive players in this Chelsea side.

Cucurella has picked up three yellow cards across his 16 Premier League appearances this term, which doesn’t quite reflect just how aggressive he is in individual duels. He’s committed 23 fouls across his 16 Premier League appearances this term (1.54 per 90) and he could find himself regularly outnumbered in wide areas with how Newcastle like to play.

Livramento and Hall transform how Newcastle approach the game in the final third with the former Cobham graduates offering effective support to Murphy, Barnes, Gordon or Elanga. Hall and Livramento are encouraged to get forward and create overloads in wide areas. Cucurella is likely to line up against a pairing of Livramento and Elanga who combine to win 2.37 fouls per 90 in the Premier League this term.

Thiaw has been superb since breaking into the starting lineup at Newcastle, and his ability in the air really stands out. Thiaw has won 53 aerial duels since joining the Magpies (4.40 per 90) with a ridiculous success rate of 75.7%.

Newcastle average 7.50 corners per game at St James’ Park and regularly look for Thiaw in these situations. This has seen the centre back have 10 shots across his 12 starts in the Premier League (0.83 per 90) with four of these efforts finding the target (0.33 per 90).

One of the most glaring advantages that Newcastle have in this matchup is their height and physicality. We saw how Chelsea struggled against Leeds a few weeks ago, and I’d expect Newcastle to create a similar atmosphere and load the box as often as possible - knowing that they have such a clear physical advantage.