Predicted Chelsea line-up vs Newcastle: Key duo rotated out for Sarr & Andrey Santos
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Liam Rosenior is expected to keep most of his key players in the starting 11 to face Newcastle United on Saturday, despite the upcoming second leg clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
The 5-2 defeat in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie against PSG means Chelsea will have to go all out to have any hopes of overcoming a three-goal deficit in the second leg next Tuesday.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, before they could focus on the plans against PSG, they will have to deal with the Premier League challenge against Newcastle.
This is arguably a must-win game if Chelsea plan on keeping their spot in the top five as well.
Back home on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/5rqxeB8UUL
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 12, 2026
Rosenior will have to balance between selecting a strong enough team to compete with Newcastle while keeping the key players fresh enough for PSG's visit to Stamford Bridge.
The biggest decision is arguably for the goalkeeper spot.
Filip Jorgensen faced a lot of criticism for his performance against PSG, and dropping him this weekend could hurt his confidence even more.
On the other hand, Robert Sanchez deserves a chance to reclaim his spot, and is likely going to be the safer option.
In defence, Wesley Fofana is likely going to be the player to be rotated out, considering he is still under workload management.
Trevoh Chalobah is therefore expected to play alongside Mamadou Sarr as a centre-back pairing, while Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella start on the right and on the left, respectively.
Similarly, Reece James, who started in midfield against PSG, is likely going to be given some rest.
Andrey Santos should be the obvious choice as a replacement to play alongside Moises Caicedo.
Pedro Neto's one-match suspension is a big blow to Chelsea heading into this match, since this likely forces Rosenior to keep Cole Palmer as a starter.
The other option would be to start Jamie Gittens, who has not featured in the last month due to a hamstring injury.
Enzo Fernandez is expected to start as a number 10, while Alejandro Garnacho starts on the left flank.
Joao Pedro should remain the first-choice striker.
Predicted Chelsea line-up (4-2-3-1) vs Newcastle United
Goalkeeper: Robert Sanchez
Defenders: Malo Gusto, Mamadou Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella
Midfielders: Andrey Santos, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez
Forwards: Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.