James Extension Boosts Chelsea Ahead of Newcastle Visit | OneFootball

Chelsea will be buoyed by the recent news of Reece James’ contract extension going into Saturday’s clash against Newcastle.

The Chelsea captain has just signed a new six-year deal which will see him stay at the club until 2032. The news offered some much needed positivity, following what was a crushing 5-2 defeat to PSG in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16. 

Chelsea were well in the game sitting on a 2-2 scoreline for 75 minutes, but a quarter-hour of madness and errors at the end saw the Blues ultimately succumb to a heavy defeat. 

Newcastle also saw Champions League action, against Barcelona. They were carrying a 1-0 lead right into stoppage time, when Dani Olmo got tripped in the box with only second remaining. Lamine Yamal calmly slotted the spot-kick, resulting in a 1-1 draw against the Spanish giants. Now have the tough task of a return leg at the Nou Camp, but first must travel to Stamford Bridge.

Splitting Focus?

This Premier League game is sandwiched in the middle of the UCL ties, and one would expect that both clubs have their eyes firmly on Europe’s premier competition and trying to advance past the round of 16. 

But for Chelsea, they cannot slow down in the league. They are currently fifth, and given the scoreline against PSG, finishing in the Top Five seems their best route back into next season’s UCL. It seems that the Premier League will once again be given five Champions League spots for next season, so their current position would see them qualify. 

However, they are level on points with Liverpool, who sit below them solely on goal differential, and only four points ahead of Brentford who are seventh. 

Liam Rosenior’s side have faltered in the league recently, and only picked up one win against Leeds, Burnley, Arsenal and Aston Villa in that time. 

Pressure on Magpies

As for Newcastle, domestically it has been a very disappointing season. They are languishing in 12th, and Eddie Howe has been under pressure to deliver better results. 

They are currently on 39 points, nine off their opponents Chelsea going into the game. But the Magpies do have an excellent recent record against Chelsea. They have won two and drawn one of their last three games against the Blues in all competitions. 

In fact, the last time Chelsea beat Newcastle was in October of 2024. Howe will be hoping his side can cause an upset and perhaps catch Chelsea off-guard this weekend. 

Asked if he was prioritising the PSG game next week over the league clash with Newcastle, Rosenior said: “I don’t prioritise any competition. The next game we play, we want to win. We still have a great chance if we get the first goal on Tuesday night against PSG.”