Newcastle United predicted starting XI vs Chelsea as £21m man recalled - plus Sandro Tonali decision

The Magpies head to Stamford Bridge - a stadium they haven’t won at for 13 years - looking to end a run of four league games without a win. Eddie Howe’s side made an unbeaten start to the campaign but haven’t won since coming from behind at Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 15.

United dominated large parts of their fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion last time out but fell to a 1-0 defeat after Danny Welbeck’s first-half opener. Will Howe stick with the same starting XI, or be tempted to tweak things?

Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon missed key chances last weekend. It means Newcastle haven’t scored a goal in open play in almost seven hours of football.

“Yeah of course, that's not a good stat,” Howe replied. “Scoring and creating goals brings confidence and belief you win every game. I don't sense that becoming an issue for us, or it hasn't been an issue until this point,

“I think it has just been a period where... we were playing without a striker for a couple of those games and I think that was potentially an issue in those games. Today, you can't look at us and think we didn't look like a good team or a team that won't score goals.

“We created chances today that we haven't in previous games and I always think that's the biggest judgement you can make. You can't always say you will take the chances when they come but you need to create them. We looked creative today and had some really good moments but it wasn't to be.”

Here’s the Newcastle we’re predicting to start in West London: