Alan Pardew will therefore see a good opportunity in Stoke City's visit. Another win to make it six on the trot would certainly lay down an impressive marker.
With Wigan to come next week, Newcastle would be flying, and with the finishing line in sight, Champions League football becomes a real possibility.
Helping them get there, Papiss Cissé cannot keep out of the headlines with his constant supply of well-taken strikes. Then there is Hatem Ben Arfa, whose wonder-goal against Bolton last time out showcased a prodigious talent now beginning to bloom.
But next to this pair, Demba Ba has almost become the forgotten man after having exploded on to the scene in his first few months on Tyneside. He has not scored for nine games now and there have been times when he has looked a little disenchanted stuck out on the left in a 4-3-3 formation.
It was noticeable, then, that Pardew brought Ba back inside for that win over Bolton, pairing him with Cissé in a clear attempt to get his striker back among the goals. If that works, Ba will obviously feel happier and might even be persuaded to stay this summer when clubs try to trigger his £7 million buy-out clause.
As a result, you would expect Pardew to go that way again by asking Ba and Cissé to work together through the middle to try to disturb Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth.
The Newcastle pair may both play for Senegal, but that is not to say they can gel on the pitch. Successful partnerships usually need practice and these two have not had much since meeting up in England.
I would not mind betting, therefore, that Pardew has had them together on the training ground over the last fortnight to try to establish some sort of understanding. Both, after all, are penalty box players. Unless you organise something, there is always a danger that both will end up running into the same space.
So when Jonás Gutiérrez gets a chance to cross from the left on Saturday, you would want to see Ba and Cissé attacking different areas; one across his man at the near post while the other peels away to cover the far.
It is all about talking, about making sure you cover the bases. And it is as good a way as any to get Ba firing again.
DI MATTEO’S DECISION
Roberto Di Matteo must tread a fine line at Arsenal on Saturday. Ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg in Barcelona, Chelsea's interim manager naturally wants to rest some of his older players. Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba all completed a full match on Wednesday that would have proved exhausting – both mentally and physically.
Yet Di Matteo must also take into account the importance of this game because it could have a significant say in where Chelsea finish. If it is out of the top four, Champions League football disappears next season, unless, of course, they end up winning it this year.
Even so, Di Matteo has little choice but to rest some senior pros, meaning one or two duels possibly become crucial in deciding which way this tussle will go.
If Ryan Bertrand replaces Cole, how will the young left back cope if Theo Walcott decides to turn it on?
Up at the other end, can Fernando Torres disturb the very capable partnership of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny? Drogba, after all, has traditionally proved Arsenal’s nemesis with his rampaging power. Without that, the visitors might find it harder to hurt their hosts.
Yet Di Matteo must be thinking he can do no wrong just now. Another win here would only fortify that feeling.
A TRUE TEST OF SPURS’ SPIRIT
Have Spurs run their race? Anything left in the tank? That FA Cup semi-final thrashing by Chelsea must have hit hard, coming as it did on the back of several poor displays. And as Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea found out, Loftus Road can be an unforgiving place if QPR get up for the fight.
