Chelsea

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that forwards Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Callum Hudson-Odoi have all tested positive for Covid-19, as has injured left-back Ben Chilwell.

Tuchel added that Kai Havertz, also not in the squad tonight, was awaiting a Covid test result.

GG in DC: Thomas Frank is spot on wanting a temporary shutdown. Will it work? Maybe, maybe not, but the carrying on with fingers crossed certainly isn't working

Liverpool were stunned at Anfield in the previous meeting of the teams.

After a rocky winter, the Reds had begun to turn their results around and hoped for a win against Steve Bruce's relegation-threatened side.

However, despite Mohamed Salah's early goal and almost total dominance early on, Liverpool could not finish Newcastle off and came under pressure in the second half.

Callum Wilson thought he'd equalised in the 90th minute but his goal was chalked off for handball.

The game looked gone but Bruce's side did not give up and got their reward when Joe Willock scored for the third successive game with the very last kick of the match.

Image source, .

Mark Lawrenson
Former Liverpool defender and Newcastle coach

When you consider Liverpool's attacking power and think about Newcastle's weakness at the back, then there is only going to be one outcome.

We saw again in their heavy defeat against Leicester what a big job Magpies manager Eddie Howe has on his hands to keep them up, and I can't see them getting a result here that will help them out much.

Prediction: 3-0

A banner has been unfurled by a couple of fans at Stamford Bridge.

It reads: "Benitez, get out of our club."

Has it been in storage since his time at Chelsea...?

James Mountford
Reporter, BBC Radio Merseyside Sport

Even the most fervent Everton optimists might conclude they are up against it at Chelsea.

The form book and the stats aren’t great either; while Blues fans will be only too familiar with the fact that Paul Rideout scored the winner in a 1-0 win, the last time Everton won at Stamford Bridge back in 1994 (it's rolled out every year).

In fact, the 26 games since mean it’s the longest winless run against a single opponent in Premier League history.

But if it was all about stats, nobody would turn up at Stamford Bridge tonight.

Rafa Benitez needs to inject positivity and confidence into this Everton team. The priority tonight must be defensively - just three clean sheets all season says it all.

They look thin up front with injuries and could be depending on Salomon Rondon and Demarai Gray, who for me has been Everton’s player of the year so far.

Get tonight out of the way then it’s a good run of fixtures against teams mainly in the bottom half of the table. Let’s see if Rafa can do business in January, get DCL and Richarlison back and then we’ll have a better idea of where Everton’s season will be heading.

Everton

Image source, Getty Images

Everton boss Rafael Benitez comes up against his old side but no ex-Chelsea manager has ever won away against the Blues in the Premier League.

The Toffees have suffered four consecutive away league defeats and are winless in their past six.

Chelsea

Chelsea

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel tells BT Sport: "Except for Kai Havertz, we have positive cases and Kai feels unwell and are waiting on test results.

"We did some extra tests at 12:00 GMT today and who arrives at lunch, from there we had to pick the team. The situation started yesterday. The results are the results and we still have a strong squad that should still be able to compete. We focus on the guys that are there.

"I did not lose my concentration, at some point it is getting difficult and with the overuse of players."

Saturday:

Aston Villa v Burnley (15:00 GMT)

Leeds v Arsenal (17:30)

Sunday:

Wolves v Chelsea (14:00)

Newcastle v Man City (14:15)

Tottenham v Liverpool (16:30)

And there are cases in many of those clubs too, tonight could be the last bit of top-flight football we see for a while.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton boss Graham Potter questioned how long "football can continue on the path it's on" after revealing the Covid-hit Seagulls had wanted their game against Wolves to be postponed.

On Wednesday, Brighton lost 1-0 at home to Wolves - to extend their winless run to 12 matches in all competitions.

"We asked the question, yes, because of our situation," Potter said.

"It is what it is. All you can do is put your case forward, speak to people and they make the decision."

Read the full piece

Image source, BBC Sport

The big Liverpool team news is that centre-back Virgil van Dijk is not included in the squad, nor is midfielder Fabinho.

Ibrahima Konate comes into replace the big Dutch defender, while Diogo Jota is in for Fabinho with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain reverting back to a midfield role. Roberto Firmino is on the bench.

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Konate, Robertson, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Thiago, Salah, Jota, Mane

Image source, BBC Sport

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has decided to rest top scorer Callum Wilson, who will start on the bench.

That is one of three changes in a more conservative-looking Newcastle team. Ryan Fraser replaces Wilson, with Isaac Hayden in for Joe Willock and Jacob Murphy starting instead of Miguel Almiron.

Newcastle XI: Dubravka, Manquillo, Schar, Lascelles, Lewis, Murphy, Shelvey, Hayden, Fraser, Joelinton, Saint-Maximin.

Subs: Darlow, Clark, Ritchie, Hendrick, Willock, Almirón, Gayle, Longstaff, Wilson

Liverpool

Further big news and this from tonight's game...

We have been told that Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones will miss tonight’s match against Newcastle after suspected positive Covid tests.

Full team news to come.

Brentford

Brentford boss Thomas Frank believes this weekend's Premier League games and the League Cup ties next week should be postponed because of Covid-19.

The Bees have 13 cases of the virus among players and staff.

They had their league game against Manchester United called off on Tuesday because of a Covid-19 outbreak at the Old Trafford club.

"The Covid cases are going through the roof at all Premier League clubs," said Frank.

"Everyone is dealing with it and everyone has a problem at this moment in time.

"To postpone this round [of Premier League games] and the Carabao Cup would give everyone a week at least to clean and do everything at the training ground so everything is fine and we break the chain at every club."

Agree or disagree?

Read the full piece

Big news in from the Premier League - a further four matches have been called off this weekend.

Southampton v Brentford, Watford v Crystal Palace and West Ham United v Norwich City on Saturday are gone.

So too is Sunday's game between Everton and Leicester.

Manchester United v Brighton had already been called off.

That leaves five top-flight games this weekend.

The news came through at lunchtime today that Leicester City's game with Tottenham has been postponed because of Covid-19.

The Premier League said there "an increase in positive Covid-19 cases within Leicester's squad" on Thursday.

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said on Wednesday that an initial request to cancel the game had been rejected, with the club expecting to be without nine players because of Covid-related issues and injuries.

Tottenham also wanted the game postponed to use the date to play their Europa Conference League game with Rennes, which was called off last week after their own Covid outbreak.

Image source, .

Just two changes for Chelsea from the 11 that began the 3-2 win over Leeds at the weekend as Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic come in for Kai Havertz and Timo Werner.

Neither Havertz or Werner is in the squad, nor is Romelu Lukaku, although N'Golo Kante is back on the bench.

Chelsea: Mendy, Rudiger, Silva, Azpilicueta, Alonso, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek, James, Ziyech, Mount, Pulisic.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Christensen, Chalobah, Kante, Niguez, Barkley, Sarr.

Image source, .

Everton are struggling for numbers and can only name seven subs, including two goalkeepers.

It is five changes from the side that lost 3-1 at Crystal Palace with Fabian Delph, Demarai Gray, Andros Townsend and Richarlison all not in the squad.

Youngsters Anthony Gordon (20), Jarrad Branthwaite (19) and Ellis Simms (20) are among the starting XI.

Everton: Pickford, Godfrey, Holgate, Keane, Kenny, Branthwaite, Gordon, Gomes, Doucoure, Iwobi, Simms,

Subs: Begovic, Lonergan, Allan, Coleman, Gbamin, Dobbin, Onyango.

Everton boss Rafael Benitez arrives at Stamford Bridge double-masked.

Team news is coming right up.

Alistair Magowan
BBC Sport

The small number of new positives at Chelsea were from testing on Wednesday.

There has been further testing today, so there is a possibility that more positives could emerge ahead of the match.

As it stands the game goes ahead, and if it does Thomas Tuchel will speak to media about situation prior to kick off.

Chelsea have had positive Covid cases, so will the game be going ahead?