Newcastle vs. Chelsea: Team News, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info

Chelsea's last hope of securing a UEFA Champions League qualifying spot for next season rests on Sunday's Premier League curtain call away to Newcastle United, where Magpies manager Rafa Benitez will look to stop his old team taking fourth.

The fifth-placed Blues travel to St James' Park with two points between them and Liverpool in fourth, and three points are needed in the north-east if Antonio Conte's men are to have any chance of securing a top-four finish.

Benitez's side have lost their last four in succession, but Chelsea also need Liverpool to drop points in their home clash against Brighton & Hove Albion to have any chance at stealing in at the last minute.

Chelsea are already assured of a place in next season's UEFA Europa League, but they won't want to settle for a spot in Europe's secondary club contest while the slightest chance is there to make it to the big show.

Read on for all the latest team news ahead of Sunday's season-ending showcase, where Chelsea stand as one of the few top-flight teams with something substantial left to fight for.

Date: Sunday, May 13

Time: 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET

Venue: St James' Park, Newcastle

Live Stream: Sky Go app (UK), NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), fuboTV (U.S.)

TV Info: Sky Sports Premier League (UK), NBCSN (U.S.)

Team News

One positive piece of news for Chelsea is Thibaut Courtois looks to have recovered from a back injury and is in contention to start against Newcastle on Sunday.

Vaishali Bhardwaj of the Evening Standard reported Courtois was in training Friday after missing Wednesday's 1-1 draw against Huddersfield Town, and PhysioRoom.com provided an update on Chelsea's other injury concerns:

David Luiz hasn't featured since the centre-back was injured in February, and there's a possibility he's now played his last game for the club, with his place under Conte in doubt ahead of a key transfer window.

As for Newcastle, injury analyst Ben Dinnery broke down their squad issues, with the enforced absence of on-loan wide technician Kenedy a particular loss:

Preview

Chelsea face a fight against the improbable if they're to pip Liverpool to a top-four finish in Week 38, but they'll hope the Reds' upcoming Champions League final against Real Madrid may help in distracting them on Sunday.

Conte has come in for some criticism for a lacklustre Premier League title defence this term, but he spoke to the media and defended his second campaign in west London, per Nizaar Kinsella of Goal:

Much talk has centred around what Liverpool need to do in order for Chelsea to succeed, but Newcastle have a hand to play here, too, and can deny the Blues any points if they play at their best.

The Magpies have lost four in a row but had a win streak of the same length just before their form dipped, and Benitez sent out a battle cry ahead of Sunday's clash, calling for closer contests with bigger opponents such as Chelsea, per Yahoo Sport UK:

Equalling or improving on Brighton's result this Sunday will ensure Newcastle finish the highest of any among this season's three promoted sides, and they could finish anywhere between 10th and 15th.

For that reason, Chelsea are not the only team at St James' Park with something to play for on Sunday, and the Blues would be unwise to suppose three points are a given on their final outing of the 2017-18 season.