For the past three seasons Rafa Benitez has been at loggerheads with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley as he continues to struggle to add players to his squad.

The Magpies survived relegation last season without much stress, but with another season of no real quality signings, their fans can expect them to scrape by again.

They started their campaign with a 2-1 home loss to Tottenham before ending a bore draw against Cardiff 0-0 in their last game.

There was nothing of note in both teams performances in that match so it wasn’t a surprise when Kenedy missed a late penalty for them.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have started their season brightly under Maurizio Sarri.

The Italian has overseen two wins in as many games, one of which was against rivals Arsenal.

The Italian claims that his team is still evolving and this game offers them more chances to show that they are taking in his lessons well.

Eden Hazard is expected to make his first start of the season in this match and that should make Chelsea more dangerous and productive upfront.

Chelsea have won four, drawn one, and lost one of their last six meetings with Newcastle.

Results of each team’s last 5 matches across all leagues and competitions

Newcastle United

LAST FIVE GAMES						DATE	COMPETITION
L	Newcastle United		1-2		Tottenham Hotspur	11 Aug, 2018	English Premier League
L	Newcastle United		0-1		FC Augsburg	4 Aug, 2018	Friendly
L	Braga		4-0		Newcastle United	1 Aug, 2018	Friendly
D	FC Porto		0-0		Newcastle United	28 Jul, 2018	Friendly
D	Hull City		2-2		Newcastle United	24 Jul, 2018	Friendly

Chelsea

LAST FIVE GAMES						DATE	COMPETITION
W	Huddersfield Town		0-3		Chelsea	11 Aug, 2018	English Premier League
W	Chelsea		0-0		Lyon	7 Aug, 2018	International Champions Cup
L	Chelsea		0-2		Manchester City	5 Aug, 2018	English FA Community Shield
L	Arsenal		1-1		Chelsea	1 Aug, 2018	International Champions Cup
W	Chelsea		1-1		Internazionale	28 Jul, 2018	International Champions Cup

H2H

LAST FIVE GAMES					DATE	COMPETITION
Newcastle United		3-0		Chelsea	13 May, 2018	English Premier League
Chelsea		3-0		Newcastle United	28 Jan, 2018	English FA Cup
Chelsea		3-1		Newcastle United	2 Dec, 2017	English Premier League
Chelsea		5-1		Newcastle United	13 Feb, 2016	English Premier League
Newcastle United		2-2		Chelsea	26 Sep, 2015	English Premier League

Other fixtures taking place this week in the Premier League Fixtures:

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