Premier League: Chelsea vs Newcastle betting preview

Premier League matchday 28 concludes on Monday afternoon as Chelsea welcomes Newcastle to Stamford Bridge. The kick-off is scheduled for 4 PM ET. The Blues are sitting in the bottom half of the table and settled for a 2-2 draw with Brentford last time out. They need a positive result badly here. The Magpies meanwhile grabbed a much-needed 3-0 victory against Wolves on matchday 27 and currently sit ninth in the standings. This is a huge match for both teams. Chelsea beat Newcastle in the League Cup back in December, but before that, the Magpies won two of three meetings. We’ll preview the game below.

Chelsea

It was always going to be a process for Chelsea after essentially revamping their entire squad through the transfer window. But, it’s taking longer than expected to get back to the top of the Premier League. The Blues are sitting in 11th with a 10-6-10 record and have a mere goal difference of +1. Consistency is a major issue for this side, going just 1-2-2 in their last five outings.

Manager Mauricio Pochettino is facing major criticism from fans and pundits because of Chelsea’s lack of productivity, which he said himself is completely fair. The reality is Todd Boehly and the board brought in Pochettino to be a difference-maker yet the club is nowhere near a European spot.

Nicolas Jackson put Chelsea ahead early against Brentford before the Bees equalized shortly after the halftime whistle. The hosts then scored again but Axel Disasi came to the rescue for the Blues, equalizing late in the second half to help his team salvage a point. Chelsea is 11 points off sixth place Manchester United, which means European football isn’t probably going to happen. That’s a huge disappointment for a club of this stature. Regardless, the Blues are expected to win on Monday with -110 odds at Bodog.

Newcastle

The Magpies burst onto the scene after their Saudi takeover last season, booking a spot in the Champions League for the first time in 24 years. They struggled in the Group of Death alongside PSG, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund, finishing at the very bottom. In the Premier League, it’s been a lot of the same. While injuries have played a massive part, Newcastle simply isn’t playing well enough.

Eddie Howe’s men are 12-4-11 this term, scoring an impressive 57 times but conceding 45 in 27 games. Alexander Isak missed time through injury but he’s been clinical when available, bagging 11 goals in 19 EPL appearances. Callum Wilson is also a key factor with seven goals but he’s sidelined for the foreseeable future with a pec issue. Isak was important in the win over Wolves, opening the scoring in the 14th minute before Anthony Gordon also hit the back of the net. Tino Livramento added insurance in injury time, too. 

Newcastle has only lost once in their previous five league matches and that was to Arsenal. However, there were also a pair of draws in there against sides they should’ve beaten in Luton Town and Bournemouth. In the last Premier League clash with Chelsea, the Magpies won 4-1. That being said, the visitors are a poor 3-2-8 away from St. James’ Park. Not exactly elite. soccer betting sites have Newcastle a slight underdog on Monday.

Injuries

There are still many players in the Chelsea treatment room. Christopher Nkunku, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Romeo Lavia, among a couple of others, are all unavailable here. For Newcastle, Kieran Trippier picked up a calf injury which is a huge blow, while Wilson, Matt Targett, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, and Nick Pope won’t feature.