Chelsea can beat Newcastle 2-1 in a close encounter.
Chelsea face Newcastle at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with just two points separating the teams in the Premier League table. This clash promises to make our Chelsea vs Newcastle Predictions particularly thrilling.
Enzo Maresca stepped in to lead a team that barely made it to Europe last season, and the new manager is aiming for a Champions League comeback. A strong finish might just achieve that goal, but the Blues are currently 6th in the table.
Chelsea performed admirably at Anfield last weekend. Their pass completion of 88.1% was the highest by an away team at Anfield in 20 years, however, they came away empty-handed. The Blues also have very little time to prepare for their upcoming Premier League clash, thanks to their midweek trip to Greece for the Europa Conference League.
Newcastle reached the top four in Eddie Howe’s first full season, but missed out on a UEFA competition spot last season because Manchester United won the FA Cup. This gives them more preparation time than Chelsea.
The Magpies made a fast start to the campaign, however, results have been poor of late. A win at Stamford Bridge could kick-start a revival that sees them move closer to the top four.
The probable lineup for Chelsea in the “system of play.”
Sanchez; James, Aderbioyo, Colwill, Gusto; Caceido, Lavia, Palmer; Madueke, Sancho, Jackson
The probable lineup for Newcastle in the “system of play.”
Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Murphy, Gordon, Isak
Chelsea are unbeaten in their last six home matches. Maresca’s only home defeat was in their opening match against Manchester City. The Blues had a superior xG to the champions in that game.
Eddie Howe’s side hasn’t won in their last four Premier League games. They were narrowly beaten at home by Brighton last weekend, which might dent their confidence ahead of this challenging match.
Newcastle also have a poor track record at Stamford Bridge. They haven’t secured a win in their last 13 visits to this stadium. Over that period, the Magpies have scored an average of just 0.54 goals per game and conceded 2.23.
Nicolas Jackson equalised for Chelsea at Anfield last weekend, with a perfectly-timed run behind Liverpool’s defence and a composed finish. The striker made a slow start to life at Stamford Bridge, but has proven himself to be one of the league’s top forwards this calendar year.
Jackson has a non-penalty xG of 0.64 per 90 minutes played in the last 12 months, putting him in the 96th percentile when compared with all forwards across Europe’s top five leagues.
The Senegalese striker has now scored five goals in his last six Premier League outings.
Chelsea matches have been amongst the highest-scoring in the Premier League, with an average of 3.38 goals per game. Only Tottenham and Manchester City have found the net with more frequency than Enzo Maresca’s side. Moreover, both teams have scored in Chelsea’s last three home games in the league.
This bet has also been successful in three of Newcastle’s four away Premier League games, and in five of their eight matches overall.
These teams met on three occasions last season as a result of being paired in the League Cup. Both teams to score won in all three of those clashes. The latest of these was a thrilling encounter at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea won 3-2.
Chelsea vs Newcastle predictions suggest a high-scoring match, with both teams likely to find the net based on their recent performances and past encounters.