Newcastle United vs. Chelsea – Premier League US Summer Series match preview

Following the thrilling 3-3 draw with Aston Villa in Philadelphia, Eddie Howe's side returns to Atlanta to face Chelsea in their second game of the Premier League US Summer Series.

Kick-off is Wednesday evening/Thursday morning at 1.15 a.m. BST and the match is taking place at the nearly 80,000-seater Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is used by both the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer.

Newcastle are unbeaten so far in pre-season, winning 3-2 and 2-1 at Gateshead and Rangers, respectively, before that entertaining draw with Unai Emery's Villans. There'll be no debuts this time, but it still looks like a cracking fixture on paper.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the kick-off. Strap in for team news, ticket information, live stream details, head-to-head record, a prediction, and more ahead of Newcastle's fourth friendly game of 2023/24!

What's the latest team news?

Nick Pope (wrist/hand), Sean Longstaff (unknown), and Joe Willock (hamstring) were the most notable names missing in Philadelphia against Villa. Of the trio, Pope and Willock both took part in the XI vs. XI practice match at the end of the open training session at Walsh Field yesterday. As such, they should be involved against Chelsea, but Longstaff looks set to miss out once again.

Matt Targett wasn't involved at all and so could be absent, too, while Emil Krafth (knee) is not expected to take part in any of our pre-season kickabouts. Jamal Lewis now looks set to join Watford on loan, so probably won't feature at all.

Here's the full list of players that Howe should have at his disposal:

Goalkeepers: Nick Pope, Martin Dúbravka, Loris Karius, Karl Darlow, Mark Gillespie

Defenders: Kieran Trippier, Javier Manquillo, Harrison Ashby, Fabian Schär, Jamaal Lascelles, Alex Murphy, Remi Savage, Sven Botman, Paul Dummett, Dan Burn, Matt Targett

Midfielders: Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, Joe Willock, Elliot Anderson, Joelinton, Jamie Miley, Lewis Miley, Joe White, Jay Turner-Cooke, Miguel Almirón, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Matt Ritchie, Jacob Murphy, Ben Parkinson

Forwards: Alexander Isak, Callum Wilson

How will Newcastle line up?

Yesterday's open training session practice match saw this first XI selected by Howe. It should be the one that takes to the pitch against Chelsea from the first whistle:

(4-3-3) Dúbravka; Trippier, Schär, Botman, Burn; Tonali, L. Miley, Joelinton; Almirón, Isak, Gordon.

The second XI looked like this, with Willock not involved for the duration:

(4-3-3) Pope; Ashby, Lascelles, Savage, A. Murphy; Ritchie, Guimarães, Willock (Turner-Cooke); J. Murphy, Wilson, Barnes

What kit will Newcastle be wearing?

It'll be black and white shirts again for Howe's lads, with black shorts and white socks, as Newcastle are the "home" team for this game. Chelsea should line up in all blue as a result.

What have the managers (and captains) said about the match?

Howe and Kieran Trippier spoke to the assembled media in Atlanta last night, here's what they said about the Chelsea game and pre-season in general:

Howe commented:

"Nice, just seeing Mauricio (Pochettino) on the way out there. Really looking forward to the game. It's a great game for us. They're (Chelsea) training on the pitch; I don't know how they managed to get one up on us there, but fair play to them.

Tripps (Kieran Trippier) will give you a better answer probably than me, but it was hot today. That's the hottest it's been by a long way and, of course, we train a little bit later today, so the temperatures were even a little bit uncomfortable for me and I wasn't running around. But it was a good session today; the lads enjoyed their work and hopefully, we give a good performance tomorrow."

With Trippier adding:

"I'm really looking forward to it. For the fans to come to watch us train, to watch how we work, and to connect together was important. I feel like the game tomorrow, I'm really looking forward to it. Really nice stadium against top opposition. It's just excitement; great experience for the lads to play in the stadium and against a tough team."

And from the Chelsea side, here are a few select quotes from Mauricio Pochettino:

"It’s a good opportunity for the young guys to have the chance to play. There are still three games to play here and it’s good, not a problem. We are going to arrive in a good condition at the start of the season. We are testing different players who can be important for the present and the future.

It’s important to have the possibility to play with these guys, in games against Brighton, Newcastle, Fulham and Dortmund, is important for them because it’s real competition to see their quality. That’s important.

The Premier League is the Big 20. Every team in the Premier League is strong, it is very competitive. Now it’s changed a little bit the perception. It’s true in the past there were different teams there, but this is the most competitive team in the world. I think it’s unfair now to say top six, top seven, and which teams you put there. In the table last season, Chelsea were out of the top six. It’s a really competitive league and now I think we have to stop talking about the top four, six or seven."

Are tickets still available?

Unlike the game in Philadelphia, which was only around 60% sold, this one is a complete sell-out. There are resale tickets available on Ticketmaster, though, with prices ranging from $40 all the way up to $1,750.

Where can the game be watched?

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland, while NBC Sports/Peacock has the rights in the USA. NUFC TV will also show the game for free outside of those regions. We recently published a guide on how to watch the Premier League Summer Series for FREE even if you're in the UK, Ireland, or the USA.

What's Newcastle's head-to-head record with Chelsea?

Chelsea have had the better of us over the years, winning 75/171 competitive fixtures (44%) to our 55 (32%). Here's the full record:

Played	Won	Drew	Lost	For	Against
171	55	41	75	207	260

In non-competitive action, the two sides faced each other in 1997/98 when Alan Shearer tore his ligaments and then again in 2003 in the Premier League Asia Trophy. That one is mostly remembered for Jermaine Jenas' horrific fifth penalty for Newcastle in the shootout (a Panenka off and then over the bar), which sent Sir Bobby Robson loopy.

If you're struggling to remember that second one, just watch this classic interview with Bobby to refresh your memory:

How about a prediction?

There were 18 goals shared between six sides in the first three games of the competition and we don't really see that slowing down too much. We'll go for a 3-2 to Newcastle here, but we'll take a win however it comes.