Chelsea vs. Newcastle United Prediction: Blues Continue Top-Five Push

• Chelsea have their sights set on qualifying for next season’s Champions League

• Newcastle United have fallen short of their ambitions in the Premier League

• Who will triumph when Chelsea host Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea vs. Newcastle United Odds

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My -121 Pick for Chelsea vs. Newcastle United

Back Chelsea to win this one. With home advantage behind them and facing a team with a poor recent record in the Premier League, the Blues should get the job done here.

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Chelsea in Four-Way Battle for Three Champions League Spots

Chelsea got off to the worst start imaginable in their last Premier League game against Aston Villa. A few days on from their 2-1 defeat by Arsenal in a significant London derby, Chelsea went 1-0 down at Villa Park in just the second minute as Douglas Luiz finished off a neat Villa move. At that stage it looked like Chelsea’s winless streak might extend to four games.

It did not. Liam Rosenior’s side did not let that poor start get them down. They regrouped and continued to follow the game plan they had worked on in preparation. By half-time they were ahead courtesy of a Joao Pedro brace. Cole Palmer made it 3-1 in the 55th minute, before Pedro completed his hat-trick to put Chelsea out of Villa’s reach.

In many ways, Unai Emery’s men were the architects of their own downfall. Villa always play with a high line and they were not going to suddenly change to a low block against Chelsea. But because their pressing was off, it was easy for the Blues to exploit Villa’s defense with well-timed runs in behind. They did that time and time again on the night.

It was a massive victory for Chelsea. Had they lost, they would have fallen nine points behind Aston Villa. A win, on the other hand, reduced the gap between them to three. And because Liverpool lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers in that round of Premier League games, Chelsea rose to fifth place. Champions League qualification is now in their hands again.

“You’re going to have setbacks in your season, whether that’s dropping points, whether that’s losing games that you shouldn’t, whether conceding the first goal,” Rosenior said afterwards. “The maturity of the team, the quality that we played with, it can be better, for sure. But in terms of the spirit and what you want to see in a team, I was really, really pleased with that tonight.”

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Newcastle United Have Fallen Short in Their Bid for the Top Five

For the first time in a while, Newcastle United fans were able to celebrate a major Premier League victory last time out. Their 2-1 defeat of Manchester United was especially impressive given Newcastle had to play more than half of the match with 10 men following Jacob Ramsey’s controversial red card.

Even after that terrific victory, Newcastle will not be able to achieve their principal objective for the season. They are nine points behind Chelsea in fifth place, so Champions League qualification will almost certainly be out of reach. Newcastle would probably need to win their remaining nine games to even be in with a chance of a top-five finish.

What has gone wrong for Newcastle this season? Losing Alexander Isak, their star man, last summer did not help. The Magpies received a hefty fee for the Sweden international, but his two replacements have had their issues. Nick Woltemade started well before tailing off, while Yoane Wissa has missed a lot of soccer due to injury.

There is also frustration with the way the club is being run. It is hard to escape the suspicion that Newcastle’s Saudi owners have lost interest in the project. There has not been as much investment as the supporters would have hoped, even after the Premier League’s financial rules have been taken into consideration.

Howe retains the backing of the Newcastle fans, who recognise he has done a good job in the circumstances. He ended their long trophy drought by overseeing EFL Cup success last term, and this season he has led Newcastle into the knockout phase of the Champions League for the first time in their history. Can Howe now get his side back on track in the Premier League?

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Chelsea Could Deepen Newcastle United’s Premier League Woe

The race for Champions League qualification could go down to the wire. With Arsenal and Manchester City almost over the line, it is essentially a fight between four clubs for three places. Manchester United, Aston Villa and Chelsea occupy the relevant berths at the time of writing, but Liverpool are within touching distance.

The consensus seems to be that Villa are most vulnerable, which makes sense given their performances over the last few weeks. However, Chelsea probably have the toughest set of fixtures remaining. As well as Newcastle United this weekend, the Blues must still face Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool among others.

That is not necessarily a bad thing. Beating the likes of United and Liverpool would be a double boost for Chelsea, bringing them all three points while inflicting defeat on a direct rival for a top-five finish. Moreover, some big teams actually like playing opponents who will not simply sit back and hope for the best.

Newcastle United will be determined to finish as high up the Premier League table as possible, but they do not have quite as strong an incentive as Chelsea. Moreover, their away record throughout this campaign has been poor. Chelsea should come out on top in Saturday’s early kick-off - go for a victory for Rosenior’s men.

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How to Watch Chelsea vs. Newcastle United

• Teams: Chelsea vs. Newcastle United

• Location: Stamford Bridge, London, England

• Date and Time: Saturday 14th March, 1.30pm ET

• How to Watch: Peacock Premium