Newcastle v Chelsea: All signs point to a Jose Mourinho special

Steve McClaren rejoice, there’s a sign Newcastle might pick up the most unlikely of victories to get their Premier League season off and running against Chelsea.

The last six times these two sides have come face-to-face the team at home has taken all three points.

That enough to lump on the Magpies at 17/4? No, we thought not.

In truth it is easy to see the man at the St James’s Park helm taking his club one step closer to the “crisis” they are supposedly en route to.

Defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup added further misery to a season that has seen United pick up just two points from their six matches and puts them flirting with the relegation zone.

And now the visit of a Chelsea side that look to have finally clicked this season isn’t likely to be the tonic Schteve needs to help his team’s slide.

Even without the suspended Diego Costa in their ranks the champions should have enough to get the three points that would launch them into the top half of the table.

They are unlikely to miss their Spanish international striker, with Newcastle’s goalscoring record this season meaning Jose Mourinho’s men won’t need to bag a hatful to be successful on Saturday.

Just one goal in their last five is probably less to do with the amount of talent the hosts possess and more with the disjointed nature they have been operating, creating very little.

This game has all the makings of a Mourinho special, with the Portuguese gaffer opting for a safety-first approach to nick it by the odd goal or two.

The defensive problems that haunted the west London outfit earlier in the season seem to have been rectified, with just one goal beating Asmir Begovic in the last three games.

Backing the Blues to win to nil at 13/8 looks outstanding value against a misfiring Newcastle outfit.

Another option to get involved in going on the previous meetings between the sides could be opting to back most goals to come in the second half.

The last 10 meetings between the sides in the Premier League at St James’s Park have yielded 16 second half goals compared to just six in the first 45 minutes.

Available at Evens, this bet would have obliged in six of the last seven meetings between the two in the north-east.

All told expect the champions to have more than enough to see off their hosts and increase the pressure on the man at the helm.

Check out Ladbrokes’ price boosts for Saturday’s late kick-off:

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Eden Hazard to score and Chelsea to win Was 5/2 Now 7/2!

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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