Chelsea will face one of the hottest teams in the Premier League in Newcastle United come Sunday. As the Magpies distance themselves from the relegation zone, they’ve gone undefeated in their last nine matches since losing to Manchester City. Chelsea have a dark cloud hovering around over the pending sale of the club, but Thomas Tuchel is doing his best to rally the troops through things. Reece James will miss out, but the improved attacking trio of Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount should remain keeping Romelu Lukaku on the bench.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more
How to watch and odds
Date: Sunday, March 13 | Time: 10 a.m. ET
Location: Stamford Bridge — London, United Kingdom
TV and live stream: Peacock
Odds: Chelsea -300; Draw +390; Newcastle +950 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Featured Game | Chelsea vs. Newcastle United
Storylines
Chelsea: It’s unfortunate that just when the Blues have found their groove again, they’ve had to answer more questions about things off the pitch than on it. Tuchel has done an impressive job navigating unreasonable expectations, but at a certain point it has to become a distraction to the team. They already struggled to see off Norwich City and with Newcastle’s form, this could be a tougher match than originally anticipated.
Newcastle United: Credit must be given to Eddie Howe as most of this run has happened with Keiran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin sidelined. Chris Wood finally opened his scoring account for Newcastle in their takedown of Southampton — a match that also showcased the full debut of Bruno Guimaraes, a player that Howe has managed expectations as everyone called for him to be thrown in. But Guimaraes scoring a goal on his full debut will only raise expectations moving forward.
Prediction
As few teams are performing better than Newcastle United at the moment, this is a match that will be much tougher for Chelsea than expected. Pick: Chelsea 2, Newcastle United 2