The four-game run on the road ends with the longest league trip of the season. Chelsea would welcome a return to winning ways at St James' Park after three successive draws in league and cups, although the Blues remain third in the table, four points clear of Spurs in fourth, with one league defeat in nine outings.

Wednesday's child is full of woe. It may be a silly old fortune-telling rhyme but anyone with kids who support Chelsea will agree it has the ring of truth at the moment. The Blues have yet to win a match in the middle of the working week in 2013.

With Manchester City, Tottenham, Liverpool and Arsenal all drawing, a win at Reading, had Chelsea held on, would have made a real difference in the chase for Champions League places. Instead a two-goal lead was squandered against a newly-promoted side for the second time in three league matches. It was also our third 2-2 draw in five matches, the other coming against lower league opposition, Brentford, in the FA Cup.

The brace of late strikes was reminiscent of Rafael Benitez's first away game in charge, the 1-3 defeat against West Ham, who scored in the 86th minute and then stoppage time.

On both occasions the Blues seemed in control of the match for an extended period but failed to take the chances that might have killed the game, then ran out of steam and lost defensive organisation. Newcastle United, unhappy sufferers of the last-minute goal this season (there were three in the last 10 minutes against Arsenal alone), lost at home to Reading last weekend with the Royals' substitute Adam Le Fondre netting twice as he did against Chelsea.

The Magpies were the last team in all four divisions to win an away game this season and moved this week to strengthen their squad after a disappointing campaign.

As a result the Gallic on Tyneside contingent lurched towards 50% with the arrival of Mathieu Debuchy, Yoan Gouffran, Massadio Haidara, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Moussa Sissoko.

In response the hostelry adjacent to St James' Park, the Strawberry, has temporarily rebranded itself La Fraise, while supporters have draped themselves in garlic and brandished a tricolor emblazoned with 'Oui club' - a pun on Sir Alex Ferguson's dismissive comment about the north-east side.

The man working to eclipse Arsène Wenger for Frenchness since 2010 is chief scout Graham Carr, formerly with Manchester City and Tottenham, and father of stand-up comedian and 'Chatty Man' Alan.

Yet has he filled the considerable gap upfront left by the sale of one of his 'discoveries', Demba Ba to Chelsea? The Senegalese netted 29 goals in just 54 matches during a season and a half on Tyneside but is unlikely to receive a similar welcome to Hughie Gallacher, another 27-year-old star striker who went south 83 years earlier.

None of the strikers who hit the net for Chelsea in our 3-0 success at St James' last time around - Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou and Daniel Sturridge - remain at the club. Eden Hazard, who netted his first league goal in our 2-0 victory at the Bridge earlier this season, is suspended. Fernando Torres was also on the scoresheet.

Frank Lampard had a penalty saved in that game. The Chelsea midfielder reached double figures for the 10th consecutive season against Reading and now has 196 goals in all competitions, just six shy of Bobby Tambling's all-time record 202.

Yossi Benayoun, recently returned from loan at West Ham, was a substitute at the Madejski Stadium, the midfielder's first action for the Blues since August 2011. Victor Moses and John Mikel Obi play their first match of the knockout phase at the Africa Cup of Nations against Ivory Coast on Sunday. Moses scored twice to ensure his country qualified from the group stage but the Nigerians will return to England should they lose to Drogba, Tioté and co.

- Match preview by chelseafc.com