Football: Weekend guide to the Premiership - Newcastle v Chelsea Last season: 3-1

THE FRENCH defender Didier Domi looks likely to get his Premiership debut as Newcastle United manager Ruud Gullit welcomes his former club Chelsea to St James' Park this afternoon. A late decision will be taken on the inclusion of Domi's compatriot Louis Saha, who joined the club on loan until the end of the season as cover for injured striker Duncan Ferguson. Gullit also has captain Rob Lee and defender Steve Howey back from injury. Newcastle have lost only once at home in the past 19 visits of today's opponents, 3-1 in November 1985.

Chelsea's player-manager Gianluca Vialli has little option but to pick himself up front alongside Gianfranco Zola. Chelsea's five strikers at the start of the season have now become just two, with Tore Andre Flo out for at least six weeks with an ankle problem and Pierluigi Casiraghi a long-term injury casualty and Brian Laudrup having returned to Denmark. Gustavo Poyet is also still out but Vialli has no new injury worries to contend with, although left-sided midfielder Celestine Babayaro is serving a one-match suspension.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (from): Given, Harper, Barton, Charvet, Domi, Dabizas, Howey, Hughes, Lee, Speed, Glass, Solano, Hamann, Shearer, Andersson, Ketsbaia, Pearce, Brady.

CHELSEA (from): De Goey, Hitchcock, Leboeuf, Desailly, Le Saux, Ferrer, Myers, Duberry, Petrescu, Di Matteo, Wise, Goldbaek, Newton, Nicholls, Morris, Terry, Vialli, Zola, Forssell.

Suspensions: Chelsea: Babayaro.

Referee: D Gallagher.