Fourth-bottom Newcastle take on Chelsea on Saturday well aware that derby rivals Sunderland were humbled 5-0 at the stadium recently.

But Kinnear, who confirmed he will be without injured defender Steven Taylor, is upbeat about his team's prospects, despite United having not won at Stamford Bridge for 22 years.

Kinnear 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."

Taylor's continued absence, and that of Joey Barton, is a blow to Kinnear.

He added: "The underbelly isn't strong enough to go in to the game with key players missing. There's a big gap between our key players and fringe players.

"I would have loved to have gone in with my best 11, but we've got players who are capable of scoring goals."

Kinnear will make a late decision on whether to start with Michael Owen, who came off the bench to score against Wigan Athletic in last Saturday's home game.

"I would say he is 100 per cent now," said Kinnear. "Michael is frustrated because he feels he is almost there.

"He is getting better and better, and sharper and sharper.

"He has his own private coach and he has been doing special an hour's work with him before training starts. That is the type of professional he is."