Chelsea have title dreams this season, Newcastle just want to stay in the league. Their plans for the season tell us what we can expect from the Sunday’s game – Chelsea are gonna attack, Newcastle are gonna defend with all they got. So, who’s gonna be the happier side once the ref blows the final whistle at the St. James’ Park? Read this Newcastle vs Chelsea match preview to find out!
Newcastle
Saying that Newcastle haven’t been very good so far this season would not be fair. They’re close to the bottom of the table with only one point, but their performances give their fans a lot of hope. Newcastle lost the first game to Tottenham, even though they put on a decent fight, but then in the second round, they played draw with Cardiff, the number 1 relegation favorite.
To be frank, we saw Newcastle playing with 10 men for almost half an hour after Hayden received a red card. But, despite being one man down, the Magpies managed to keep the ball in their possession and create some really good chances. And then in the 6th minute of the stoppage time, they got themselves a chance to snatch all three points from a penalty. But, the worst player of the match, Kenedy, missed it.
Speaking of Kenedy, the midfielder who was supposed to be his team’s playmaker was dreadful in that game. And that’s actually the biggest problem of this team. They just can’t create good chances, even though they work really hard. That’s going to be a really big problem against Chelsea, who are famously good at defending.
Chelsea
Roman Abramovich made the right choice when he picked Maurizio Sarri as the new manager of Chelsea. The Italian manager has lead his team to two wins in a row and now the Blues are considered one of the main favorites for winning the title. Under Sarri’s helm Chelsea players look happy, motivated, and confident to win every game.
In the first round, they destroyed Huddersfield 3:0, then scored the same number of goals in the duel with their city rivals, Arsenal. However, in that match, the London Blues had many problems in defense, which resulted in allowing two goals. Actually, they were very lucky to concede only two, because the Gunners had some really good chances.
But, I have no concerns that Sarri will find a way to clog those leaks at the back. Chelsea will probably have no problems against Newcastle in that aspect of the play, as the Magpies are just not very good when it comes to creating chances. At least not this season…
But, in 2017/2018, they managed to beat the Blues 3:0 at this very same place. The hero of that game was Ayoze Perez, who scored twice. The Spaniard will have to be marked tightly by Chelsea defenders in order not to repeat the same scenario. Judging by his recent form, the Blues will have no problems stopping him.
Team News
Newcastle absentees
- Florian Lejune (injury)
- Javi Manquillo (doubtful)
- Isaac Hayden (suspension)
Chelsea absentees
- Marco van Ginkel (injury)
Possible Lineups
Newcastle
Dubravka – Clark, Fernandez, Lascelles, Dummett – Diame, Shelvey, Ritchie, Murphy, Perez – Joselu
Chelsea
Kepa – Luiz, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Alonso – Kante, Jorginho, Kovacic – Hazard, Willian, Morata
Newcastle vs Chelsea Match Prediction
The Blues are playing with high confidence and even big support from the stands won’t help Newcastle get anything from this game. Anything but a dominant away win would surprise me.
Newcastle vs Chelsea Betting Tips
- Chelsea @1.66 (bet365)
- Chelsea AH -1.5 @2.90 (Unibet)
- HT/FT Chelsea/Chelsea @2.60 (William Hill)