English Premier
2026-03-14 - Chelsea vs Newcastle United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 14th March 2026 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV
Chelsea
Some will blame Liam Rosenior for Chelsea's collapse in the French capital on Wednesday night and a couple of his substitutions have to be questioned, but The Blues have to be wondering how on earth they were beaten 5-2 at Paris Saint-Germain? They more than gave as good as they got and any defeat would have felt like a kick in the guts, but conceding two very late goals makes the Second Leg a huge task for the 'World Champions'.
The first goal is going to be very important when the Second Leg of that Last 16 tie is played in West London, but Chelsea are 5th in the Premier League table and cannot afford to lose concentration in this Division. Getting back into the Champions League is huge for the club and the Premier League is the best avenue for that, while Chelsea will be looking to improve the 6-5-3 record at Stamford Bridge on a weekend where the two teams immediately above them face one another.
Chelsea have been struggling for some consistency and have won 1 of the last 5 games in all competitions in normal time, and they have lost twice in that time to build some pressure on the manager and the squad. The side are unbeaten in 5 at home in all competitions, but Chelsea have been held to back to back draws in the Premier League by relegation threatened Leeds United and Burnley.
Estevao and Jamie Gittens could both rejoin the squad this weekend, while Robert Sanchez may be restored in goal after his replacement made a huge error to help Paris Saint-Germain take the lead for the third time on Wednesday evening. Other changes could be made with the Second Leg in mind, but Rosenior will also need to pick a strong team knowing the importance of the top five race domestically.
Newcastle United
Two English Premier League clubs avoided defeat in the Champions League Last 16 First Leg and the closest to winning was Newcastle United who were leading Barcelona 1-0 before giving away a Penalty with virtually the last action of the night. Eddie Howe has to be extremely proud of the performance produced by his team, but Newcastle United have to be considered big underdogs to progress in the Champions League and that will make this a disappointing season.
The side are already out of both domestic Cup competitions and going out of the Champions League during the week will mean Newcastle United fans take a longer look at sitting in 12th place in the Premier League table. At this moment in time, Newcastle United are in for a real fight to earn a spot in any UEFA competition for next season and they have a poor 3-4-7 record away from home in the top flight.
Newcastle United have lost half of the last 6 games played in all competitions, although they have picked up a couple of wins in that time. Both victories have been at St James' Park in that run, but Newcastle United had won 3 away games in a row in all competitions before the narrow 2-1 loss at Manchester City in the Premier League.
Lewis Miley will be hoping to travel with the squad to Barcelona, but he may have to miss this fixture. The manager will choose to make some changes to his first eleven with the Second Leg of that Last 16 tie in mind, although Anthony Gordon could be restored to the lineup with the expectation he is over the illness that meant being a sub on Tuesday.
Head to Head
Newcastle United led Chelsea 2-0 inside 20 minutes when the teams met in December in the North East, but the visitors rallied in a 2-2 draw.
Chelsea have not had a lot of success away from home against this opponent, but they have won 11 of the last 12 League games at Stamford Bridge against Newcastle United, including the last 2 in a row.
Prediction
Both of these Premier League clubs are going to be in European action again this midweek, but you have to believe that only Newcastle United fans will have a genuine belief that they can see their side progress to the Quarter Final of the Champions League.
Liam Rosenior and Chelsea fans will not have given up on turning things around in their own tie, but the two late goals conceded makes it a monster task against the defending Champions.
3-2 is a defeat you can accept, but 5-2 is very different and Chelsea also have to take each Premier League game seriously as they bid to finish in the top five of the Division and return to the Champions League next season.
In that regard things are clearer for Eddie Howe.
Newcastle United are stuck in mid-table and unlikely to be able to push towards the top five, although earning any European Football remains an ambition of the club.
This may mean the manager can afford to take a few more gambles with his starting eleven with the Last 16 Second Leg in mind, even if Newcastle United are going to be underdogs to get past Barcelona following the 1-1 draw at St James' Park.
Chelsea have a squad that can be rotated so changes are expected with the Last 16 tie being played on Tuesday, rather than Wednesday like Newcastle United, but this is an important game for The Blues.
They have had a very strong record when hosting Newcastle United in the Premier League and that will give the home team confidence- a strong start can bring the fans back behind the players and Chelsea may just have enough to edge past The Magpies in a potentially fun game for the neutral.
Both teams have capabilities of causing problems in the final third, but the feeling is that Chelsea may place a bit more importance on this fixture after results during the week. That can see the stronger players on the pitch for longer than the Newcastle United ones and Chelsea may win a game in which they need to score at least twice to earn a vital three points in the Champions League race.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle United
