Preview: Newcastle United vs. Chelsea – lineups, team gossip, and predictions On Sunday, Newcastle United and Chelsea will engage in a gameweek 36 match at St James’ Park that could potentially determine the course of the season. The two teams are currently tied in the Premier League table.
The fourth-placed Magpies will face off against the resurgent Blues of Enzo Maresca in the Champions League qualification six-pointer. The Blues are currently on a three-match winning streak in the competition, which is the second-longest of the 2024-25 season by the West London club, following a five-game run between November and December 2024. The Premier League’s thrilling race for the top five is anticipated to be filled with yet another weekend of surprises.
Newcastle will host Chelsea in an effort to establish a buffer and potentially undermine the Blues’ Champions League aspirations. The Magpies are currently in fourth place, with a score of 63 points, and are tied with their weekend opponents. However, there is a possibility that they could achieve a higher or lower finish in their penultimate home game. Arsenal, who are currently in second place,
have neglected their domestic affairs, resulting in Newcastle’s four-point deficit to Mikel Arteta’s team. Arsenal will visit Liverpool this weekend before hosting Eddie Howe’s team next week. Arsenal (67 points) and Manchester City (64) could still be surpassed; however, the Magpies could also be relegated to a lower position in the table due to the positions of Chelsea (63),
Nottingham Forest (61) and Aston Villa (60). The Toon Army have reasons to enter Sunday’s fixture against Chelsea with optimism, despite the fact that there is a risk of slipping outside the guaranteed top-five spots this weekend. This is particularly true given that they have dropped points in two of their previous three top-flight games, losing 4-1 at Aston Villa and drawing 1-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Newcastle’s performance at St James’ Park has been particularly impressive, as they have won five consecutive games and scored three or more goals in four of those wins against Forest (4-3), Manchester United (4-1), Crystal Palace (5-0), and relegated Ipswich Town (3-0). Only Liverpool (46 points) have amassed more points than Newcastle (43) over the past 20 league games.
The Geordies, who have witnessed Howe win his three meetings with the Blues on Tyneside by an aggregate score of 7-1, will support their side to end the West Londoners’ winning streak, given that the hosts have won seven of their previous 11 Premier League home games against Chelsea, whom they also eliminated in this season’s EFL Cup fourth round.
Nevertheless, the traveling supporters will perceive that they have a higher likelihood of success in Sunday’s match than they did a month ago. The London team has exhibited signs of life once again, as evidenced by a three-game league winning streak that culminated in Cole Palmer’s apparent resurgence in gameweek 35’s 3-1 victory against an admittedly much-changed and less motivated Liverpool side.
This follows an extended period of wobble post-Christmas that saw Maresca’s team drift from potential title contenders to nervously glancing at the Champions League race.
The Blues have obtained two continental victories during their current top-flight run, which is their longest winning streak since they achieved five consecutive victories over Leicester City (2-1), Aston Villa (3-0), Southampton (5-1), Tottenham Hotspur (4-3) and Brentford (2-1) from November to December.
This brings their total to five consecutive wins in all competitions. The initial victory in this sequence occurred on April 20 in a dramatic comeback at Fulham. The Conference League finalists required Tyrique George’s 83rd-minute equalizer and Pedro Neto’s second-half stoppage-time goal to defeat their West London neighbors and secure their first away league victory since December 8.
The Blues endured a frustrating eight-match streak without maximum points on the road, losing five and failing to score in five matches, after achieving two victories at Leicester and Southampton before defeating Spurs.
In order to prevent Chelsea from falling out of the coveted Champions League spots, Maresca, who is determined to lead Chelsea back into the Champions League after a two-season absence, is striving for consecutive away wins for the first time in five months, given that the Fulham victory has served as a boost for this ongoing winning sequence.
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