This time last week we were unsure of what Chelsea to expect ahead of a London derby with Arsenal, but now we're getting a better idea of where Jose Mourinho's team finds itself.
The Premier League champions have rediscovered their mean streak and after three victories in a row—the latest a 4-1 win over Walsall in the Capital One Cup in midweek—there's a sense of some momentum being built at Stamford Bridge.
Traveling to St. James' Park is another big challenge for the Blues, however. They lost 2-1 to Newcastle there in December last season—a result that ended their 17-match unbeaten run in the league that had stretched back to April 2014.