Pundits torn over Chelsea vs Newcastle United as ‘inconsistent’ verdict made

Newcastle United are aiming for their first win at Stamford Bridge in 12 years when they face Chelsea on Monday.

Eddie Howe’s men are also looking for revenge after being dumped out of the Carabao Cup in brutal fashion earlier this season. A late Kieran Trippier howler forced the quarter-final into penalties - which the Magpies ultimately lost.

Not since Papiss Cisse’s stunning brace in 2012 have Newcastle won at Chelsea - but they are taking on a fading force. A youthful Blues side sit 11th in the Premier League, with no apparent improvement under Mauricio Pochettino.

Pressure is beginning to mount on the Argentine and Monday’s fixture could be viewed as a six-pointer for European football. Win, and Chelsea move to within a point of the Magpies despite playing a game less.

A Toon triumph would pierce another dagger through the hearts of their hopes for a continental return. But the pundits are torn - and NewcastleWorld has profiled what they are predicting ahead of the clash. 

Chris Sutton

“I could easily end up with zero points this week - and I am not expecting to pick up anything here either,” he told the BBC. “How can anyone accurately predict Chelsea versus Newcastle, given the inconsistency we have seen from both teams recently?

“Which Chelsea team will turn up, and which Newcastle side will we see? The Magpies bounced back from a bad defeat at Arsenal by beating Wolves, but they have not won back-to-back league games since the start of December.

“I've lost count of the number of times I've backed Chelsea at home, and been wrong, but surely they are going to win again at Stamford Bridge before the end of the season? I went with the law of averages when I picked a Newcastle home victory last week, so hopefully the same method will work again with Chelsea this time.”

Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

Paul Merson

"Chelsea are four points behind Newcastle with a game in hand, so this is an absolutely massive game for them," Merson told Sportskeeda. "If they can win this and go on a bit of run, it may not be all doom and gloom for Mauricio Pochettino, whose position at the club is likely to be re-evaluated at the end of the season.

"The Blues are slowly getting better but they tend to have phases in games. They need to be more consistent over 90 minutes to start winning more games. Chelsea have some nice games coming up and could end the season well, so I'm going for a 2-1 home win.”

Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle

Mark Lawrenson

"Both have been fairly inconsistent, although Newcastle won last time out, " the former Liverpool defender told Paddy Power. "Anything can happen with Chelsea so I’m going to go with Newcastle, it’ll be interesting to see what version of Chelsea turns up this time."

Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Newcastle