Chelsea will be looking to continue their excellent start since the return of interim manager Guus Hiddink when they host a struggling Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
Slow progress
Hiddink’s second stint at Stamford Bridge has proven to be just as successful as the first, and the Dutchman will be looking to make it 11 matches unbeaten since he took over from Jose Mourinho.
The defeats have dried up for the Blues with their last loss coming in Mourinho’s final match in charge to Leicester City back in December, but the victories are also becoming hard to come by.
Hiddink has only won four matches out of the 10 since he began his term, with the rest being drawn - there has been just two wins in their last eight matches.
This form has kept them in the bottom half of the table, with 17 points separating the London club and fourth-placed Manchester City. The gap is a mere seven from 18th-placed Norwich City.
Red Devils stalemate
Their unbeaten record was almost chalked off on Sunday afternoon when they took on Manchester United.
It was Louis Van Gaal’s side that looked to be claiming the three points after Jesse Lingard opened the scoring in the second period. However, an extra-time strike from an in-form Diego Costa saved a point; with Paris Saint-Germain on the horizon they will be looking for three points to boost their confidence.
Team news
The big absentee is Kurt Zouma, who is expected to be out for at least six months when he picked up a knee ligament injury against van Gaal’s side. Gary Cahill is expected to come in for the young Frenchman.
Radamel Falcao is unavailable as he is still recovering from his thigh injury, while new signing Alexandre Pato will have to wait another week for his debut for the Blues as he continues to build up his match fitness.
Loic Remy could be in line for a return to the substitutes bench as he has finally recovered from a calf strain. Last season’s star man Eden Hazard could be returning to the starting eleven having started on the bench for the last two matches.
The Belgian’s impending return could see midfielder Cesc Fabregas drop further back while Nemanja Matic could miss out.
Chelsea’s predicted XI: Courtois; Ivanovic, Cahill, Terry, Azpilicueta; Mikel, Fabregas, Willian, Oscar, Hazard, Costa
Chelsea will host Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, February 13 with kick-off at 5:30PM GMT.