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Chelsea will look to not get distracted by their off-field problems as they welcome a soaring Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Chelsea beat Norwich City rather comfortably on Thursday night. Trevor Chalobah headed home to open the scoring for Thomas Tuchel's side as early as the third minute. Mason Mount added some cushion to their lead just 11 minutes later with a lovely finish.
The Canaries were handed a glimmer of hope as Teemu Pukki converted from the spot in the 69th minute of the game. But Kai Havertz put the game to bed in the last minute of normal time to place Chelsea firmly at third in the Premier League table.
Away from the pitch, Chelsea have entered uncharted territory owing to the sanctions placed on Russian owner Roman Abramovich. The club has been stopped from selling merchandise and tickets to games and shirt sponsor Three has suspended their deal.
For now, Chelsea will need to stick exclusively to football-related activities. A large number of parties have reportedly come forward to buy the club from Abramovich and it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, their Sunday opponents Newcastle United haven't lost a Premier League game since December 19 when they fell to Manchester City. The Magpies are currently on a nine-game unbeaten streak which has seen them wing their way out of the relegation zone.
Eddie Howe's men produced an impressive performance to beat a resurgent Southampton 2-1 at St. Mary's on Thursday night. Stuart Armstrong's 25th minute strike was canceled out by Chris Wood just seven minutes later before Bruno Guimaraes scored the winner early in the second half.
Newcastle United are currently 14th in the Premier League table and they don't look anything like the side that was embroiled in the relegation battle halfway through the season. They could cause all sorts of problems to an unsettled Chelsea side on Sunday.
Chelsea vs Newcastle United Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Chelsea have won each of their last three Premier League games against Newcastle United. Out of the last 10 league meetings between the two sides, the Blues have won eight.
- Newcastle United have been able to win just one one of their last 27 away league games against the Blues. It was a 2-0 win under Alan Pardew way back in 2012.
- Newcastle United have lost all of their last eight Premier League away games against Chelsea.
- The Magpies have lost 23 of their last 24 Premier League games played against sides starting the day in the top three of the table.
- Chelsea haven't conceded a loss in their last 34 Premier League home games played in March.
Chelsea vs Newcastle United Prediction
Chelsea are currently on a four-game winning streak in the Premier League. Sunday will undoubtedly be a challenge for them as Newcastle United have been in pretty good form.
The Magpies have put plenty of daylight between them and the relegation zone now (10 points) and can play with a great amount of freedom on Sunday.
It's going to be a tightly contested affair but we still expect Chelsea to come away with three points.
Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle United
Chelsea vs Newcastle United Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Chelsea
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
