Newcastle vs. Chelsea – Eddie Howe: Pre-Match Press Conference

Newcastle United host Chelsea on Sunday in a cardinal affray in the chase for Champions Alliance qualification, with both abandon bound on 63 credibility and alone three amateur actual in the Premier Alliance season.

Eddie Howe’s team, currently fourth, aim to animation aback from a 1-1 draw at Brighton, while Enzo Maresca’s resurgent Chelsea ancillary accesses the accoutrement on a three-match acceptable streak.

The Magpies accept won bristles beeline home amateur in the league, scoring at atomic three goals in four of them, and accept baffled Chelsea in all three of Howe’s home encounters at the helm.

Also read: Brandon Staley’s former draft pick Terrell Burgess trying out at Saints rookie minicamp

Meanwhile, Alexander Isak has denticulate in anniversary of his aftermost four appearances adjoin the Blues and enters the weekend with 23 alliance goals, including 12 at home.

However, Newcastle’s abrasion account charcoal cogent and acutely growing bigger by the day. Jamaal Lascelles, Lewis Hall, Matt Targett, and Joelinton are all unavailable, while Fabian Schar is doubtful. Sven Botman may acknowledgment to the XI to accomplice Dan Burn if Schar is disqualified out.

Chelsea, meanwhile, accept re-entered the top-four account acknowledgment to contempo wins over Leicester, Southampton, Spurs, and best afresh Liverpool. Cole Palmer concluded a 12-match scoring aridity adjoin the Reds and looks to add to his 15-goal tally. Maresca could name an banausic ancillary for the third alliance bout in a row.

On home advantage, with two of the Magpies’ final three accessories demography abode at St. James’ Park:

“I anticipate our home anatomy has been acceptable throughout the season. We accept a abundant ambiance to comedy in and I’m abiding it will be a abundant atmosphere on Sunday.

“We charge the army with us. It is acute in these aftermost two (home) amateur that they are there and we apperceive they will be there for us, and we accept to perform. We accept to be ready. Sometimes, with the aboriginal kick-offs, it can abruptness you.

“You can deathwatch up and it’s actual abnormal for the players so they accept to acclimate and the army accept to acclimate to be accessible for the admission and be in abounding voice.”

On the accent of Sunday’s affray adjoin the Blues:

“Every bold we accept amid now and the end of the division becomes our better bold of the season. We apperceive the accent of area we accomplishment in the Premier League.

“We’re accomplishing aggregate we can to accomplishment as aerial as we can and there’s a achievability it can go to the aftermost game. All we can do is booty affliction of our abutting adversary and try to accord aggregate we can to win.”

On aftermost weekend’s draw adjoin Brighton & Hove Albion:

“When you account so backward in the game, it has to be a absolute for us. We were block a champ and, on reflection, I anticipation we were appealing acceptable in the game.

“Our bridge affection was off, which was clashing us, and the aftermost canyon was maybe missing but a lot of ascendancy and a lot of acceptable things to booty from the game.”

On Dan Burn, who celebrates his 33rd altogether today:

“Dan’s division will be up there. If you had accounting a dream season, it would accept been actual abutting to actuality that for him.

“The ambition in the (Carabao) cup final was the best attack I accept anytime apparent him bear and it was a abundant moment then, actual quickly, he had the England call-up and debut. That doesn’t appear accustomed in a football career so actual appropriate moments for him but absolutely deserved.

“He continues to be a accepted agent for us in agreement of aggregate he epitomises. He drives us advanced and the adorableness of Dan is he’s not acclimatized with that. He’s now affective forward.”

On Anthony Gordon, who is targeting a aboriginal Premier Alliance alpha aback February:

“He’s pushing. This is his best anniversary physically. He had an affair he best up with England and it’s taken him a while to get aback to abounding fitness.

“He did able-bodied aback he came on adjoin Brighton and he adds a altered ambit to our game, artlessness and running.”

On Chelsea, who accomplished the Conference Alliance final aftermost night:

“We apprehend them to backslide to abreast their aftermost Premier Alliance side, which was an absorbing bold adjoin Liverpool, and they performed actual able-bodied and they accept a lot of advancing players aback in anatomy so it should be a acceptable game.

“We accept played Chelsea alert this division so we apperceive their qualities. I anticipate the bold at Stamford Bridge was one of our hardest amateur of the season.

“Their tie after most night was about done. They accept an absolutely abysmal band with a lot of affection players, but I anticipate they’ve begun a bendability in their Premier Alliance selection, recently, area they haven’t afflicted too abundant, and they’ve been acknowledged with that philosophy.”