Thomas Tuchel rings in changes to his Chelsea teamsheet for the weekend outing away at Newcastle United with N’Golo Kante returning to the centre of the park.
Kante is joined by Andreas Christensen who had missed out on the midweek EFL Cup contest against Southampton with an injury and slots in at the heart of the defence.
Thiago Silva pips Azpilicueta to a starting role
The skipper Cesar Azpilicueta features on the bench with the veteran Brazil international Thiago Silva partnering with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in the three-man backline.
Azpilicueta had been a minor concern on the injury front for Thomas Tuchel in the build-up to the game and has to contend himself with a place on the bench for the St. James’ Park showdown.
Mason Mount absent from the matchday squad, Ziyech starts
Mateo Kovacic’s injury means that Tuchel resorts to his first-choice midfield pairing of Jorginho and the returning Kante with Saul Niguez available on the bench.
Last week’s hat-trick hero for Chelsea Mason Mount is not a part of the matchday squad against Newcastle with Tuchel fielding Hakim Ziyech in his forward lineup as Kai Havertz continues in his central striking role.
Here is how both teams line up for today’s Premier League fixture:
Newcastle United FC XI
🚨 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠-𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨
Graeme Jones names an unchanged starting XI.
HWTL! ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ZbwnPnQ4LV
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) October 30, 2021
Chelsea FC XI
Chelsea team news is in! 🔵@ParimatchGlobal | #NewChe pic.twitter.com/juKXGJHxB6
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 30, 2021
