Chelsea were unfortunate to lose in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham midweek and will be looking to recover by getting a win against Newcastle on Saturday.

The Blues will be sweating over the fitness of striker Alvaro Morata. The 26-year-old missed the defeat to Spurs with a hamstring injury after scoring twice in the FA Cup last weekend.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek is still out of contention with a back problem, while Cesc Fabregas may not be in the squad as his move to Monaco nears completion. Marco van Ginkel (knee) is the only long-term absentee.

For Newcastle, Jonjo Shelvey is seeing a specialist in Spain about a thigh issue which has prevented him from starting matches in the last few months. Mo Diame is also a doubt with a groin injury he sustained against Manchester United.

Federico Fernandez is still struggling with a hip problem while Karl Darlow remains out for the long-term with an elbow issue. Florian Lejeune has been playing for the Under 23s as he continues his recovery from a knee injury. The Frenchman has been out since August.

The bookmakers can only see a victory for Chelsea with Sky Bet having them 1/4 odds-on to get the three points. A draw is 11/2 at Betway while a victory for the Magpies is priced at 15/1 with Unibet.

Chelsea’s Predicted XI To Face Newcastle

Kepa, Azpilicueta, Rudiger, Luiz, Alonso, Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic, Pedro, Hazard, Willian

Newcastle’s Predicted XI:

Dubravka, Yedlin, Schar, Lascelles, Dummett, Ritchie, Hayden, Diame, Perez, Rondon, Atsu

Predicted Score – 2-0 to Chelsea