Newcastle have bigger fish to fry than an FA Cup fourth round tie, let’s be honest.
Rafael Benitez has been worried about the size and quality of his squad since the summer, but without significant reinforcements this month either, that’s only going to make matters worse.
With that in mind, a cup run would likely be seen as an unwelcome distraction rather than a shot at unlikely glory this season, and with Chelsea the opponents in the fourth round, perhaps that just makes defeat seem all the more acceptable.
And yet, there is some hope.
If you were to lay out the strengths and weaknesses of this Newcastle side, you’d definitely say that defending was a strong point and scoring goals was where they’d fall down. Against a Chelsea side who have struggled for goals in 2018, that could play into Benitez’s hands if he can cobble together an organised back four and hit Chelsea on the break.
Antonio Conte’s attack will be without Willian and Alvaro Morata meaning that the Blues’ toothless run could well continue.
Is this a winnable game?
Perhaps the first question, then, that Benitez has to answer ahead of tomorrow’s clash is whether or not this is a game worth trying to win.
After all, Premier League safety is a much more important goal when you’re a newly promoted team, and with so much uncertainty around the club, that only makes things harder.
On the other hand, cup victories can kickstart seasons, especially triumphs over better sides. Beating Chelsea could instil belief and foster even greater team spirit as the players grow in confidence and enjoy the taste of success. With the Blues in a bit of an attacking crisis mode at the moment, this could be one to try to take advantage of.
Which side plays?
At this stage of the season tiredness might start to set in very soon. There have been a few rest days since the madness of the festive period last month, but this is the long stretch of the year now.
That means rotation and resting players is vital at the best of times, but if this is seen as a distraction away from a bigger goal, does that mean the likes of Matt Ritchie (who was dropped last weekend anyway), Jamaal Lascelles and Javier Manquillo who have all played more minutes than anyone else for Benitez’s side this season should be rested with an eye on the home game with Burnley in the league in midweek?
Biggest fear?
An Michy Batshuayi with a point to prove could be Newcastle’s biggest nightmare here, if they have one at all.
Losing this game may not be the end of the world, but the last thing Newcastle want is a heavy defeat, and with so much talk around Chelsea attempting to sign a striker in January – one who is literally the opposite of everything the Belgian forward can ever hope to be – that might light a fire under him to improve and bag a few goals at Stamford Bridge tomorrow.
Just as a win over tough opposition can galvanise a side, a heavy defeat can see things fall apart, even if it’s a weakened side. Psychology is a strange thing and Rafael Benitez will have to be careful about the team he picks even in a game he may not care about winning.