Primarily because two direct rivals are facing off at St. James' Park, with Newcastle taking on a Chelsea team that downed champions Liverpool last weekend. The Blues, as a result, are level on points with their upcoming opponents, who dropped points at Brighton last time out.

Advantage Newcastle in the race for the Champions League. A 2-0 win against Premier League top-five rival Chelsea on Sunday moved Newcastle closer to a return to European club soccer’s top competition next season.

Newcastle pair Fabian Schar and Kieran Trippier suffered cramp late on against Brighton but are fit to face top-five rivals Chelsea. Head coach Eddie Howe says Joelinton is recovering well from the knee injury that was originally expected to rule him out for the rest of the season.