By Michael Nsikan Richard – December 20th, 2025
Date: December 20th, 2025
Venue: St James’ Park
Kick-Off: 13:30 PM WAT.
Match Context
The buildup to this match is pretty big. Both teams played some amazing games in the cup midweek. Newcastle fans are still buzzing about that last-gasp winner against Fulham, while Chelsea did just enough to beat Cardiff.
There’s something special happening at Newcastle when Chelsea visits.
The Magpies have won their past 3 league games at home against the Blues, and they will want to make it 4.
The problem is, their treatment room’s getting pretty busy, and that’s not ideal presently.
Chelsea, on the other hand, could use this win to get back on track after what the boss, Enzo Maresca, called his toughest few days since taking the job. Their away games have actually been pretty solid lately, with 4 clean sheets in their last 5.
Form Guide
Newcastle United (12th, 22 points)
Their home record’s been insane this season. No team’s got more home wins than the top 3, but on the road, they haven’t been as great. Just 7 points from 8 away games shows that they really need to work and improve.
Chelsea (4th, 28 points)
Chelsea is good at keeping clean sheets this season. Eight of the clean sheets put them and Arsenal at the top, and they’ve not conceded in 5 of their last 7 league games.
They’re still 8 points behind Arsenal, though, and need to win games like this to stay in the title hunt.
The Key Battles
Palmer’s Return: Chelsea’s getting their star player, Cole Palmer, back, which is massive for them. They really missed him against Cardiff, and with Newcastle’s defense shipping goals in 9 straight league games, Palmer could be the difference here.
Home Strength vs. Away Resilience: Here’s the thing;
Newcastle’s home fortress is pretty strong. They score 2 goals every home game, which is a lot.
However, Chelsea has a solid defense on the road, and it will be fascinating to see how both teams set up.
Injuries and Predicted Lineups
Newcastle: got some big injuries to deal with:
- Dan Burn is out for 4-6 weeks due to a rib injury.
- Nick Pope’s got a groin problem.
- And loads of others predicted the lineup:
Ramsdale; Miley, Schar, Thiaw, Hall; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Elanga, Woltemade, Gordon
Chelsea got some injuries too:
- Estevao Willian and a few others are out for this one. Predicted Lineup:
Sánchez; James, Chalobah, Fofana, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernández; Neto, Palmer, Garnacho; Pedro
The Prediction
This one feels like a proper match-up. You’ve got Newcastle’s powerful home attack going against a strong Chelsea defense. The home crowd will give them a boost, but with all those injuries, it’s concerning how they can cope at the back.
Predicted Result: Newcastle 2-2 Chelsea
We’ll settle for a draw here. Newcastle will
score—they usually do at home—but that injury list is a bit of a worry. Chelsea, on the other hand, has enough quality to hurt anyone. It should be a great game to round off the pre-Christmas fixtures.
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