Newcastle v Chelsea: Prediction, tips and bet builder as Champions League race heats up

Winning the EFL Cup not only secured Newcastle’s first trophy since 1955 but also guaranteed the club a spot in the Europa Conference League.

Trouble is, Newcastle are not looking for third-tier European football. Instead, Eddie Howe’s men have got their sights set on a return to the Champions League as they look to once again rub shoulders with some of the biggest clubs on the continent.

Finishing in the top five will secure top-flight European football next season and the Magpies are certainly on the right track.

Six wins from their last eight Premier League outings have taken the club on the periphery of qualification.

All that is left to do for the North East side is to hold their nerve and pick up as many points as they can from their remaining three matches.

All that sounds easy on paper. However, the first of those final three games comes against a Chelsea side that share Newcastle’s continental ambitions. What’s more, the Blues are hitting form at just the right time.

Enzo Maresca’s men have won their last three Premier League games, including a 3-1 victory over newly crowned champions Liverpool.

Things are beginning to look up for the Blues after a couple of difficult seasons under the owners.

Qualifying for the Champions League and potentially winning the Europa Conference League would mark a big step in the right direction for a club desperate to rediscover their glory days.

There is clearly a lot at stake for both Newcastle and Chelsea when the two teams meet at St James’ Park this Sunday.

Here we pick out some of our best tips for this juicy Premier League meeting, and if you put it into a Betway bet builder you’ll get odds of around 6/1.

Newcastle v Chelsea bet builder

Over 2.5 goals – 11/20

Both teams to score – 19/40

Alexander Isak to have 2+ shots on target – 21/20

Over 3.5 cards – 30/100

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

Chelsea are looking to seal a season double over Newcastle having won the reverse fixture back in October.

The stakes are much higher on this occasion, and we expect a tight encounter in front of a packed St James’ Park.

The last four Premier League meetings between these clubs have seen both teams rattle the net and we expect that trend to continue.

We’re also putting our chips on over 2.5 goals considering the big goal output from both clubs in recent weeks.

Newcastle have scored two or more goals in six of their last eight matches across all competitions. Chelsea have also had fun in front of goal, bagging eight across their last three.

Our third tip concerns Newcastle frontman Alexander Isak. The Swede has got five goal contributions in his last seven games, including goals in his last two matches. We’re backing Isak to have two or more shots on target against Chelsea.

Lastly, we’re backing over 3.5 bookings. Considering how high the stakes are in this game, we expect both teams to put on a fight.

Newcastle v Chelsea: How to watch and listen

Newcastle v Chelsea will be shown live on TNT Sports at 12:00 on Sunday, May 11. There will be live radio coverage on talkSPORT.

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How do we create our tips?

Planet Sport has a rich history of providing quality, engaging and creative user-friendly content across a wide range of sports.

The Planet Sport team has more than twenty years’ experience working in the sports industry and use their knowledge, experience and statistical analysis to bring you the very best tips possible.

We specialise in clear, informative, data-driven tips, predictions and guides that will steer you in the right direction, whether you are a part-time bettor or consider yourself a bit of a pro.

Our experts have worked across some of the biggest and much-loved sites across the Planet Sport network, including Football365, TEAMtalk, PlanetF1.com, Planet Rugby, Planet Football, Tennis 365 and Love Rugby League.