This is the first of two consecutive league games in that time slot for Chelsea, who have scooped the points on three of the past four occasions we have kicked off at that time.

The Magpies wing in without an away win at any of the current top seven, and they lost their most recent Saturday evening session at home to our neighbours Brentford.

Both had busy midweeks in the UEFA Champions League. The Tynesiders conceded a last-gasp penalty to draw 1-1 with visitors Barcelona on Tuesday and the Londoners lost 5-2 to Paris Saint-Germain at the other end of the Eurostar line the following night.

In the reverse fixture at St James’ Park in November, the world champions battled back through Reece James and Joao Pedro, to turn a two-goal deficit into a 2-2 draw.

Matches between these two old foes more usually end with the points staying in the host city.

Only three teams have performed worse on their travels than Newcastle this season, but the Blues have been marginally more successful on the road than at home.

Team news

Liam Rosenior confirmed in his pre-match press conference that there was mixed news when it comes to getting his wingers back ready to play in this game. Jamie Gittens has returned from injury in time to be in contention, but this match comes a little too soon for Estevao Willian to feature.

‘Jamie is back involved, which is great news,’ Rosenior announced on Friday. ‘Estevao is still a little bit further away. We want to be careful with Estevao because of the nature of his hamstring injury.

‘The last thing we want to do is rush him back and see the injury recurring. So, we will see what he’s like for Tuesday’s game against PSG.’

‘But I don’t think too far ahead about the next game. At this stage of the season, it’s about the importance of each game, starting with the game on Saturday. My thoughts on PSG, and what that looks like on Tuesday, haven’t even entered my head.’

The history

Last season, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer goals, either side of Alexander Isak’s leveller, claimed a 2-1 victory, and the same pair also found the net during the Londoners’ 3-2 win the previous season. Those triumphs maintained a pattern of dominance that has persisted over 39 years.

In fact, Papiss Cisse’s double strike back in 2012 secured Newcastle United’s only three-point haul at the Bridge since November 1986, while the Magpies won 17 of the league games over the same period at St James’ Park.

The margin of victory at the Bridge has often been substantial, especially in calendar year 1980. The Blues won 4-0 in January, followed by 6-0 in October, in Division Two under manager Geoff Hurst, the latter being Chris Waddle’s debut for the visitors and our biggest league win.

Wizard of the dribble Pat Nevin was unstoppable during another four-goal haul in 1983, against a visiting team featuring future Toon manager Kevin Keegan.

Another Tyneside icon, Sir Bobby Robson, had once been a scout for the Blues, but his return to the Bridge on 9 November 2003 was an unhappy one. Three Chelsea goals and a United sending off in 18 first-half minutes set up a 5-0 thrashing for Claudio Ranieri’s title-chasers, our biggest top-flight win in this fixture.

Caretaker boss Guus Hiddink’s team looked likely to match that landmark win 13 years later, but Andros Townsend grabbed a last-minute consolation for 5-1.

Know this...

Chelsea have won 11 of our 12 home league matches against Newcastle United since May 2012.

Joao Pedro has scored more non-penalty goals in the Premier League (14) than anyone except Erling Haaland (19). Only Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink (19 in 2000/01) and Diego Costa (19 in 2014/15) have netted more non-penalty goals in their debut Premier League season for Chelsea.

Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali has had more shots without scoring (28) than any other top-flight player this season.

No team has scored in more separate Premier League matches this season than Chelsea (27), the two blanks being 0-0 draws against Crystal Palace and Bournemouth.

The Blues have not lost a home league game in the month of March for 25 years.