Paul Merson and Chris Sutton completely agree on prediction for Chelsea’s showdown vs Newcastle

It’s a vital three points up for grabs on Sunday afternoon when Newcastle United host Chelsea at St James’ Park.

Chelsea travel up to Newcastle this weekend for a pivotal Premier League fixture between two sides competing for a top-five finish, which would secure qualification for next season’s Champions League.

It feels like a significant opportunity for either club to take a massive step towards achieving their target this season.

Blues head coach Enzo Maresca claimed Chelsea are “back” if they win the Conference League during the final weeks of the campaign. However, we’d argue that securing a place in next season’s Champions League would be the biggest sign of progression after two years away from Europe’s elite club competition.

Paul Merson and Chris Sutton predict Newcastle vs Chelsea

Even though they’re on a five-game winning streak across all competitions, Paul Merson has predicted that Chelsea will suffer a defeat on the road against Newcastle.

Merson told Sportskeeda: “If I’m not mistaken, Chelsea haven’t won at this ground for three or four years now! I’d be shocked if Chelsea got anything from this game… Prediction: Newcastle United 2-1 Chelsea.”

Interestingly, Chris Sutton completely agrees that Newcastle will be too strong at home against Chelsea.

Sutton told BBC Sport: “Newcastle have got a very physical midfield which might be where the battle is won and lost, and of course Alexander Isak is such a threat too.

“Chelsea have got match-winners too, if Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are firing, and my first thought was that there will be lots of goals in this game.

“Sutton’s prediction: 2-1.”

Chelsea must take major confidence from their recent form despite some pre-match predictions.

In particular, Cole Palmer was back to his best against Liverpool in last Sunday’s game, which could spell bad news for Newcastle. The Blues will hope their talisman has timed a return to form for these final few decisive matches of the season.

In addition, Romeo Lavia is back from injury and dominating in midfield. Alan Shearer rates Romeo Lavia so highly that he suggested Chelsea would have more points if he had been available all season.

Newcastle vs Chelsea head to head

Newcastle and Chelsea are level on points going into the final three games of the league season, which suggests they’re pretty evenly matched.

We’ve taken a look at the previous 10 meetings between the Premier League clubs across all competitions:

As you can see above, Chelsea’s recent record against Newcastle is a mixed bag. The most alarming pattern is that they’ve lost on their previous three trips to St James’ Park, failing to win at that ground since 2021.