United are back in Premier League action following the international break, with Mauricio Pochettino's improving side the visitors to Tyneside (kick-off 3pm GMT).

The Magpies suffered back-to-back defeats at Borussia Dortmund and Bournemouth just prior to the pause in domestic action, but their last outing in front of their own supporters was a memorable one as Anthony Gordon's strike sealed a 1-0 win over Arsenal three weeks ago.

And head coach Howe wants a repeat of that occasion when the Gunners' London rivals arrive in Newcastle this weekend, with the hosts looking for the three points which could lift them into the top six.

Here are some of the key talking points from Howe's pre-match media briefing on Friday morning:

On Newcastle United's good recent home form...

"Our home form has been very strong; we have had some good results against some top sides. You look back at our last league game here against Arsenal, and it was a very strong performance, full of discipline and quality.

"Another performance and atmosphere like that would be more than welcome. There is a determination to put the Bournemouth result to bed."

On Pochettino's Chelsea, who currently sit tenth in the table...

"They have a great manager, someone who has been in the Premier League before and he can develop young players - full credit to him and the job he has been doing.

"I think he is a really good fit for Chelsea, and they are improving every week. We know it is going to be a real test."

On the Blues, who have conceded 16 goals in 12 games, and their attacking threat...

"I think as much as you can look at that, they've scored eight goals in two games. OK, against Tottenham, it was well documented what happened in that game. But (they have scored) eight goals against Tottenham and Manchester City. I think we're seeing a team with outstanding players and an outstanding manager now beginning to gel and find their form.

"For us, of course we'll look at them, analyse their strengths and any areas where we could potentially hurt them, as we will with every opposition."

On Alexander Isak's availability...

"I don't want to give too much away. I think the majority of players we've spoken about previously are longer-term injuries. We're looking at probably January for a few of them. There's a couple of others who sooner, we hope, they can be back involved and help us through December."

On Sven Botman's ongoing recovery from injury...

"We know what his injury is. We're unsure how long at this moment in time Sven is going to be out. We're hoping it's not too long - we're hoping he can rejoin the group pretty quickly, but there is a chance that may not happen, so we're keeping everything crossed."

On the other injury concerns in his squad ahead of Saturday's game...

"Fabian (Schär) was more precautionary rather than any injury - we saw him yesterday, he seemed good.

"Miggy (Almirón) has worked really well since his hamstring. Kieran (Trippier) is fine - he has trained with us since his return from England. We will check on Sean (Longstaff) before Saturday."