The Magpies' derby rivals Sunderland were beaten 5-0 at Stamford Bridge by Luiz Felipe Scolari's star-studded side earlier this month, but Kinnear, who has an extensive list of injured players ahead of the fixture, does not see the game as a forgone conclusion.

He said: "You look at what they did to Sunderland - it was frightening. But I've never been one to back away from a challenge, and this isn't about damage limitation.

"I'm going there to get a decent result. It would be a fantastic scalp. Newcastle have never won there for 22 years, but records are there to be broken.''

Midfielder Joey Barton and defender Steven Taylor have been added to a list which already included Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and loan signing Ignacio Gonzalez on the long-term casualty list, although Australian striker Viduka is back in training.

The situation may mean Michael Owen's wait for a start could finally come to an end.

"I would say he's close to 100% now,'' said Kinnear. "Michael is frustrated because he feels he is almost there, but he's getting better and better, and sharper and sharper."

Chelsea meanwhile will look to continue their breakaway at the top of the table with joint-leaders Liverpool.

The Londoners and the Reds are now eight points clear of nearest rivals Manchester United, who have a game in hand.

Liverpool host Fulham, and should welcome back captain Steven Gerrard after he missed England's friendly with Germany in midweek with a leg injury.

The Merseysiders, who stayed joint-top with a 2-0 win at Bolton last week, want to show they can last the course.

"It's nice (people are talking about us) but it raises expectations,'' Gerrard told Champions magazine. "It's important to stay humble. We know we're a good team, we know we're getting closer to a title challenge - we can say that. But we've got to prove we can stay in the race to the end."

Manchester United, fresh from their 5-0 hammering of Stoke last week, face top-four hopefuls Aston Villa as they try to keep pace with the front two.

Villa, now in fifth just one point behind United, showed last week they were intent on breaking into the so-called 'Big Four' with a 2-0 win over Arsenal.

The Gunners will look to bounce back from that defeat when they travel to struggling Manchester City, who are facing problems in goal due to the injury to Joe Hart.

Hart will be out of action for around two weeks after injuring his ankle at Hull last weekend, meaning Kasper Schmeichel is set to be City's goalkeeper against the Gunners at Eastlands on Saturday, with 18-year-old Norwegian Tobias Johansen the only fit back-up on the books.

Also on Saturday bottom-placed West Brom travel to Stoke, Portsmouth host Hull, and Bolton are away to Middlesbrough.

On Sunday, Tottenham will hope to revive their recent good form when they Blackburn. Both sides are in the bottom three again, with Spurs in 19th and Rovers one spot above.

On the same day 14th-placed West Ham travel to 11th-placed Sunderland in another clash in the bottom half of the table. A win for the Hammers would see them move above their hosts, as only five points separate the bottom 10 teams in the league.